Nancy AstorShe was marvellous and without her people like me wouldn't have climbed a few rungs further up the ladder and we are immensely grateful to her and I know that she would have been the first to say how we all owe to those who worked for women's suffrage before she was able to take her seat. This was the house from which her influence radiated for thirty years and it is a great pleasure to be here. There are now forty-one women members of the House of Commons. It isn't enough; it's a great disappointment that we haven't got more because Nancy Astor knew that women had a great deal to contribute and their full contribution is still not being made. Nancy Astor knew, what I sometimes know and what other people like Mrs Gandhi knew, that until there are more of us both in the House of Commons and right at the top we'll still be too conspicuous merely by being women. We maybe want to be conspicuous and have an ambition to be conspicuous because what as politicians we do for our country, but that is quite different. When people say to me “don't you find it—what's it like being a woman Prime Minister?” I say “Well, I've really nothing to compare it with, because I've never been a man Prime Minister!” . Now you can see why there's tremendous admiration for this personality, this courageous person, who was such an influence when she got there, who had confidence in her own abilities, who had confidence in her own contribution—she was just right. I wanted to come and say my little prayer and if she's up there twanging her harp it will be superb because it's probably played in great style and great finesse—thank you, thank you for the work you did; thank you for blazing the trail for us, and I am delighted to be able to hallow this corner of St James's Square by something to counterbalance William Pitt.
Speeches, etc.