Edith Summerskill

An Independent Book of the Month

Edith Summerskill was a remarkable politician, feminist, physician, campaigner and writer. At a time when there were few powerful women in public life, Dr Edith, as she was known, served in Clement Attlee's transformational post-war Labour government and oversaw the National Insurance scheme which solidified the welfare state in Britain. Here, Labour MEP Mary Honeyball, provides the first biography of this remarkable early pioneer for women in politics. Honeyball shows how Edith Summerskill's direct campaigning was instrumental in promoting women's causes throughout her life and lays out her remarkable achievements in securing the equal rights of housewives and divorced women over property. This is an uplifting and enlightening account of a forgotten Labour hero.

Like many, I knew of Dr Edith Summerskill but didn’t really know about her. The recently published, very readable biography by former Labour MEP, Mary Honeyball, soon put a stop to that … I can thoroughly recommend this book on the life of the exceptional Edith Summerskill. -- Debbie Abrahams MP The House
Thoroughly researched and written with real affection, Mary Honeyball's book finally gives this great Labour woman the biography she deserves. A worthy tribute, full of inspiration and insight. Rachel Reeves, MP
A fascinating account and a much-needed contribution to the field of socialist feminist historiography. -- Steven Andrew The Morning Star
A timely reminder of [Summerskill’s] contribution to women’s rights … this brilliantly evocative, informative and thoughtful biography not only tells the story of a heroic and inspirational person, but traces the changes in our society over the eight decades of her life, from the cramped social mores of Victorian Britain to the recognisably post-Elizabethan world of today. -- Dan Carrier Camden New Journal
Essential ... Honeyball argues a hugely compelling case for why the life, career, and achievements of Edith Summerskill must be remembered. -- Scott Cresswell Tides of History
Edith Summerskill was a pioneering champion of women’s rights, a successful minister in Clement Attlee’s post-war government, and an influential figure on Labour’s National Executive Committee. Yet she was neglected by historians – until now. Mary Honeyball’s fine biography restores Summerskill as a substantial figure in the Labour Party’s history. It deserves to be widely read. Nick Thomas-Symonds, MP

Mary Honeyball’s timely and enjoyable biography of Edith Summerskill is a valuable addition to the growing body of literature about forgotten Labour women, illuminating the contribution of one of the first feminist MPs to the long and ongoing struggle for women’s rights.

Nan Sloane, author of 'Uncontrollable Women' and 'The Women in the Room'
This book has increased my admiration of Dr Edith, and provokes admiration of its author Mary Honeyball who has amassed a great deal of evidence about the achievements and life of this feminist pioneer. -- Fiona Mactaggart Order! Order!

Mary Honeyball is a former Labour MEP who represented London from 2000-2019. She is author of Parliamentary Pioneers: Labour Women MPs 1918-1945 (2015).

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