I was delighted to raise a glass this week to celebrate the legacy of Alice Bacon who was a real pioneer as Yorkshire’s first female MP. Miner’s daughter Alice was elected as the MP for Leeds North East at the 1945 general election and went on to become both a Home Office and an Education Minister.

She helped introduce comprehensive schools across the country and was passionate about improving the lives of working class people. As we mark the centenary since the first British women won the right to vote, the Five Towns Brewery in Wakefield has specially brewed Baroness Bacon Beer.

The pale ale has already been sold in the working men’s club that Alice opened in Normanton. I have now arranged for it to now go on sale at The Stranger’s Bar in the House of Commons -; with a picture of Alice on the beer hand pump. Hopefully, it will help introduce a new generation of politicians and Parliament’s visitors to Alice’s work in transforming people’s lives.