International Women’s Day

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

My Lords, it is a great honour to open this debate on International Women’s Day on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition. It is an opportunity both to celebrate the countless contributions of women and to reflect on the work that still lies ahead, here at home, obviously in Wales, and across the world. We will no doubt hear stories from across the House of women who have shaped us in our own lives and who contribute every day to our society. With the indulgence of the House, I shall speak too about some Welsh women who have shaped our history.

In particular, I pay tribute to my noble friends Lady Owen of Alderley Edge and Lady Bertin for their tireless work on the Crime and Policing Bill to strengthen protections for women, particularly in the online space. Some of the material we have confronted has been deeply disturbing and should give us all pause for thought. These harms not only affect women and girls but shape attitudes and relationships more broadly, distorting how men and boys understand intimacy and respect. Women are not commodities nor targets for abuse; they are equal in worth and dignity, and they must be treated as such in every corner of our society. We are so grateful for the dedication of our female Peers across the House to this legislation.

The Conservative Party launched the international women and girls strategy, focusing on educating girls, empowering women and ending gender-based violence. Under that strategy, 80% of the FCDO’s bilateral aid programmes are required to focus on gender equality by 2030. We are proud of this record, and we are pleased that the current Government continue to commit to this target.

We must also take a long, hard look to what is happening in our own patch. We have come a long way in this country, and we owe so much to those who came before us. Coincidentally, it was on this day in 1806 that the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born. Her own success as a women inspired others, such as Emily Dickinson, and she used her talent to advocate not only for women but for other causes, such as the abolition of slavery in the United States.

I pay tribute to the female entrepreneurs of this country who continue to innovate, employ and lead, often while navigating different barriers from their male counterparts. Yet the economic picture gives us cause for concern. According to PwC’s 2026 Women in Work Index, which assesses women’s labour market outcomes, the UK has moved up one place but largely due to declines in other countries’ performance. Female unemployment has risen from 3.5% to 4.2%, while youth female unemployment has increased from 9.5% to 11.8%, and that trend should concern us all.

It is not good enough to turn a blind eye; we must do more to ensure that all women and girls in this country enjoy the same hard-fought freedoms, opportunities and standards that we across this House enjoy. What is needed is a new cultural and integration commission, which will provide an interim report later this year. We are doing the serious work to propose real solutions, not for political point-scoring but because it is the right thing to do.

No speech of mine would be complete without reference to Wales. Mae Cymru yn genedl o adroddwyr straeon—Wales is a nation of storytellers. I would like to reflect on the lives of some remarkable Welsh women whose courage, ingenuity and service have shaped not only Wales but our wider national story.

Let us start with the women of Fishguard, who repelled the last invasion of Britain in 1797—I bet not many noble Lords knew that. Dressed in traditional Welsh costume—dark dresses; tall, black, steeple-crowned hats; and red shawls—they formed a conspicuous line along the cliffs, which, in poor light and at a distance, the French mistook for ranks of red-coated soldiers. Facing what they believed to be overwhelming British reinforcements, the invaders lost heart and soon agreed to surrender.

If we go back to the 12th century, Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, Princess of Deheubarth, is remembered for her leadership. In 1136, as her husband fought elsewhere, she led an army against the Norman invaders. She fell in battle, but her name endured as a rallying cry: “Dial Achos Gwenllian”, or, “Revenge for Gwenllian”. In an age when women’s voices were rarely recorded, her example of courage, sacrifice and resistance still speaks to us today about the cost of defending a nation’s identity.

Fast forward four centuries, and we find another woman whose influence ran not through arms but through kinship and land: Katheryn of Berain. A 16th century noblewoman in north Wales, Katheryn married extremely well four times, and through these alliances linked together many of the most powerful families of the region. She has sometimes been called “Mam Cymru”—“Mother of Wales”—because so many later Welsh gentry and political figures trace their descent through her. She reminds us that power is not only exercised in Parliaments or on battlefields but woven quietly through households, estates and communities, and that the women who manage those networks were architects of Welsh society in their own right.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Welsh women helped to propel the Industrial Revolution. Lucy Thomas, the mother of the Welsh steam coal trade, was a businesswoman from the heart of the coalfield. After her husband’s death, she took charge of the coal business, drove the development of markets for Welsh steam and helped to prove to sceptical buyers the superiority of Welsh coal, a resource that would power ships, railways and industry across the world.

From the grime of the coalfield to the horror of the battlefield hospital: in the Crimean War, the name Betsi Cadwaladr deserves to stand alongside that of Florence Nightingale. Born near Bala, Betsi volunteered as a nurse in the Crimea. She insisted on practical sanitation, decent food and humane care for ordinary soldiers. Her methods and determination saved lives and transformed conditions for Welsh and English soldiers alike. Today, the largest health board in Wales bears her name—a fitting tribute to this woman.

In the 20th century, Welsh women stepped decisively into political and public leadership. Margaret Haig Thomas, Lady Rhondda, was a suffragette, business leader and tireless campaigner for women’s rights. Imprisoned for militancy, she survived the sinking of the “Lusitania” and then rebuilt her life by taking a leading role in Welsh industry and journalism. She became one of the most prominent advocates for allowing women to sit in the House of Lords. Although that cause would not be realised in her lifetime, it is to pioneers like Lady Rhondda that today’s women Peers owe a profound debt.

Megan Lloyd George, the daughter of the then Prime Minister, built her own formidable political career. In 1929, she became Wales’s first female Member of Parliament, representing Anglesey. She was an eloquent advocate for Welsh culture, rural communities, social justice and a stronger recognition of Wales within the United Kingdom. In Megan Lloyd George, we see a template for principled Welsh parliamentarians, who are passionate about their nation yet deeply engaged in the wider challenges facing Britain and the world.

The Davies sisters, inheritance of great wealth, chose to invest in assembling one of the finest collections of impressionist art in Europe, most of which they gifted to the National Museum of Wales. Their philanthropy ensured that a miner’s child in Cardiff could stand before a Monet or a Renoir and know that world-class art belonged not just to London or Paris but to Wales.

Finally, I turn to a voice known across the globe, Dame Shirley Bassey. Born in Tiger Bay, the daughter of a Nigerian father and an English mother, she rose from a dockland community to become one of the most recognisable singers of the 20th century and a great philanthropist too.

These women span nine centuries. They came from palaces and farmsteads, ironworks and coalfields, chapels and tenements. Welsh history is not solely a tale of kings, princes and industrial magnates; it is enriched by these women too. They show that giving women access to power, whether economic, political, educational or cultural, enlarges the common good. When women could own and manage property, they built networks that held communities together. When they could train as doctors and nurses, they transformed public health. When they could vote, stand for Parliament and sit in this House, they broadened the range of voices shaping our laws.

The story of these Welsh women is, in truth, a story about the benefits of equality. In honouring them, we also affirm a simple truth: the story of Wales, like the story of Britain, is at its best when the talents of all its people—women as well as men—are recognised, encouraged and allowed to flourish. I commend their legacy to the House. I thank the Minister for bringing forward this debate and look forward to hearing the rest of noble Lords’ contributions.