This is a list of female party leaders of British political parties.
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi Long (b. 1971) | Belfast East[a](NI Assembly) | 26 October 2016 | Incumbent | May | ||
| Johnson | ||||||
| Truss | ||||||
| Sunak | ||||||
| Starmer | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) | Finchley | 11 February 1975 | 28 November 1990 | Wilson | ||
| Callaghan | ||||||
| Herself | ||||||
| Theresa May (b. 1956) | Maidenhead | 11 July 2016 | 7 June 2019 | Herself | ||
| Liz Truss (b. 1975) | South West Norfolk | 6 September 2022 | 24 October 2022 | Herself | ||
| Kemi Badenoch (b. 1980) | North West Essex | 2 November 2024 | Incumbent | Starmer | ||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister[a] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlene Foster (b. 1970) | Fermanagh and South Tyrone[b](NI Assembly) | 17 December 2015 | 28 May 2021[1] | Cameron | ||
| May | ||||||
| Johnson | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Title | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Lambert (b. 1950) | Female Principal Speaker | 1992 | 1993 | Major | ||
| Jan Clark | ![]() | Female Principal Speaker | 1993 | 1995 | ||
| Peg Alexander | ![]() | Female Principal Speaker | 1995 | 1997 | ||
| Jean Lambert (b. 1950) | Female Principal Speaker | 1998 | 1999 | Blair | ||
| Margaret Wright (1940–2012) | ![]() | Female Principal Speaker | 1999 | 2003 | ||
| Caroline Lucas (b. 1960) | Female Principal Speaker | 2003 | 24 November 2006 | |||
| Siân Berry (b. 1974) | Female Principal Speaker | 24 November 2006 | 30 November 2007 | |||
| Blair Brown | ||||||
| Caroline Lucas (b. 1960) | Female Principal Speaker | 30 November 2007 | 5 September 2008 | |||
| Leader of the Green Party | 5 September 2008 | 3 September 2012 | ||||
| Cameron | ||||||
| Natalie Bennett (b. 1966) | Leader of the Green Party | 3 September 2012 | 2 September 2016 | |||
| Cameron May | ||||||
| Caroline Lucas (b. 1960) | Co-leader of the Green Party | 2 September 2016 | 4 September 2018 | |||
| Siân Berry (b. 1974) | Co-leader of the Green Party | 4 September 2018 | 1 October 2021 | |||
| May Johnson | ||||||
| Carla Denyer (b. 1985) | Co-leader of the Green Party | 1 October 2021 | Incumbent | |||
| Johnson Truss Sunak | ||||||
| Starmer | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Beckett (acting) (b. 1943) | Derby South | 12 May 1994 | 21 July 1994 | Major | ||
| Harriet Harman (acting) (b. 1950) | Camberwell and Peckham | 11 May 2010 | 25 September 2010 | Cameron | ||
| 8 May 2015 | 12 September 2015 | |||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Baroness Brinton (acting) (b. 1955) | N/A | 8 May 2015 | 16 July 2015 | Cameron | ||
| Jo Swinson (b. 1980) | East Dunbartonshire | 22 July 2019 | 13 December 2019 | May | ||
| Johnson | ||||||
| The Baroness Brinton (acting) (b. 1955) | N/A | 13 December 2019 | 31 December 2019 | |||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leanne Wood (b. 1971) | Rhondda(Senedd) | 16 March 2012 | 28 September 2018 | Cameron | ||
| May | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister[a] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicola Sturgeon (b. 1970) | Glasgow Southside(Scottish Parliament) | 14 November 2014 | 27 March 2023 | Cameron | ||
| May | ||||||
| Johnson | ||||||
| Truss | ||||||
| Sunak | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Buckley (1879–1962) | N/A | 1937 | 1950 | Chamberlain | ||
| Churchill | ||||||
| Attlee | ||||||
| Mary Lou McDonald (b. 1969) | Dublin Central[a](Assembly of Ireland) | 10 February 2018 | Incumbent | May | ||
| Johnson | ||||||
| Truss | ||||||
| Sunak | ||||||
| Starmer | ||||||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Prime Minister | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Ritchie (b. 1958) | South Down[a] | 7 February 2010 | 5 November 2011 | Brown | ||
| Cameron | ||||||
| Claire Hanna (b. 1980) | Belfast South and Mid Down | 5 October 2024 | Incumbent | Starmer | ||
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsay Whitcroft | None | 2004 | 2005 | 0 / 90 (Northern Ireland Assembly) | |
| Kelly Andrews | None | 2005 | 2009 | ||
| Karly Greene | None | 2009 | 2011 | ||
| Clare Bailey (b. 1970) | Belfast South[a](Northern Ireland Assembly) | 21 November 2018 | 15 August 2022 |
| Leader | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Costain | Douglas South[a](House of Keys) | 24 February 2014[2] | Incumbent | 1 / 24 (House of Keys) |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency / Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marian Coyne | None | 1999 | 1999 | 7 / 129 (Scottish Parliament) | |
| Eleanor Scott (b. 1951) | Highlands and Islands[a](Scottish Parliament) | 2002 | 2004 | ||
| Shiona Baird (b. 1946) | ![]() | North East Scotland[a](Scottish Parliament) | 2004 | 2007 | |
| Alison Johnstone (b. 1965) | Lothian[a](Scottish Parliament) | 2007 | 2008 | ||
| Eleanor Scott (b. 1951) | N/A | 2008 | 2011 | ||
| Martha Wardrop (b. 1951) | ![]() | Hillhead(council ward) | 2011 | November 2013 | |
| Maggie Chapman (b. 1979) | Leith Walk[b](council ward) | November 2013 | 1 August 2019 | ||
| Lorna Slater (b. 1974/5) | Lothian[a][c](Scottish Parliament) | 1 August 2019 | Incumbent |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angie Bray (b. 1953) | ![]() | West Central(London Assembly) | 2006 | 2007 | 9 / 25 (London Assembly) |
| Susan Hall | Londonwide(London Assembly) | 17 December 2019 | Incumbent |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annabel Goldie (b. 1950) | West Scotland[a](Scottish Parliament) | 31 October 2005 | 4 November 2011 | 31 / 129 (Scottish Parliament) | |
| Ruth Davidson (b. 1978) | Glasgow[a](Scottish Parliament)[b] Edinburgh Central(Scottish Parliament)[c] | 4 November 2011 | 29 August 2019 |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathy Jamieson (acting) (b. 1956) | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley(Scottish Parliament) | 8 November 2001 | 22 November 2001 | 22 / 129 (Scottish Parliament) | |
| 15 August 2007 | 14 September 2007 | ||||
| Wendy Alexander (b. 1963) | Paisley North(Scottish Parliament) | 14 September 2007 | 28 June 2008 | ||
| Cathy Jamieson (acting) (b. 1956) | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley(Scottish Parliament) | 28 June 2008 | 3 September 2008 | ||
| Johann Lamont (b. 1957) | Glasgow Pollok(Scottish Parliament) | 17 December 2011 | 24 October 2014 | ||
| Kezia Dugdale (b. 1981) | Lothian[a](Scottish Parliament) | 15 August 2015 | 29 August 2017 | ||
| Jackie Baillie (acting) (b. 1964) | Dumbarton(Scottish Parliament) | 15 November 2017 | 18 November 2017 | ||
| 14 January 2021 | 27 February 2021 |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eluned Morgan (b. 1967) | Mid and West Wales(Senedd) | 24 July 2024 | Incumbent | 30 / 60 (Senedd) |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirsty Williams (b. 1971) | Brecon and Radnorshire(Senedd) | 8 December 2008 | 6 May 2016 | 1 / 60 (Senedd) | |
| 16 June 2017(acting) | 3 November 2017 | ||||
| Jane Dodds (b. 1963) | Brecon and Radnorshire(House of Commons, August 2019 – December 2019) | 3 November 2017 | Incumbent |
| Leader | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felicity Rice | Oakdale(BCP Council)[3] | 1 April 2019[4][5] | Incumbent | 4 councillors |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanessa Hudson (b. 1972) | N/A | October 2010[6] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Blaiklock (b. 1963) | N/A | 20 January 2019[7] | 20 March 2019[8] | 1 MP and 9 councillors |
| Leader | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Parker | Send(Guildford borough council)[9] | 2013 | Incumbent | 3 councillors |
| Leader | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Brady | Horwich North East(Bolton Council)[10] | 8 February 2019[11] | Incumbent | 2 councillors |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colette Walker | 7 May 2020[12] | Incumbent | 1 councillor |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marianne Overton (b. 1959) | Cliff Villages(North Kesteven district council)[13] | 2008[14] | Incumbent | 1 councillor |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helena Sanders (1911–1997) | January 1951[15] | 1957[16] | 5 councillors |
| Loveday Carlyon | 1986 | 1989 | |
| Loveday Jenkin | 1990 | 1997 |
| Leader | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael King | West Mainland(Orkney Islands Council) | March 2013[17] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Purvis (b. 1967) | Belfast East[a](NI Assembly) | 23 January 2007[18] | 2 June 2010[19] | 1 councillor |
| Leader | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sally Cogley | Irvine Valley[broken anchor](East Ayrshire council) | March 2017[20] | Incumbent | 1 councillor |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diane James (b. 1959) | South East England(European Parliament) | 16 September 2016 | 4 October 2016 | None | |
| Pat Mountain (acting) | N/A | 30 October 2019 | 25 April 2020 |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Ward | Took office | Left office | Current representation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sophie Walker (b. 1971) | N/A | 22 July 2015[21] | 22 January 2019 | 1 councillor | |
| Mandu Reid (b. 1981) | N/A | April 2019[22][a] | Incumbent |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annabel Mullin | September 2018[24] | Incumbent | 2019 general election |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ella Rule | 24 October 2018[25] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Dobson (acting) | 27 January 2021[26] | Incumbent | 2021 Scottish Parliament election 2021 United Kingdom local elections |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon McCourt | 25 March 2017[27] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veronika Wagner | c. August 2019[28][29] | Incumbent | 2021 local elections |
| Leader | Portrait | Seat | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annabel Mullin | ![]() | N/A | 20 September 2018[30] | 7 June 2019 | 2019 European Parliament election |
| Julie Girling | South West England[a](European Parliament) | 7 June 2019[31] | 7 July 2020[32] | 2019 general election |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frances Curran (b. 1961) | c.2007[33] | 2012 | 2009 European Parliament election 2010 general election 2011 Scottish Parliament election | |
| Sandra Webster | 2012[34] | 2016 | 2015 general election 2016 Scottish Parliament election | |
| Katie Bonnar | ![]() | 2016[35] | 2018 | None |
| Róisín McLaren (b. 1994) | 2018[36] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hannah Sell (b. 1971) | 11 March 2020[37] | Incumbent | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diane James (b. 1959) | South East England(European Parliament) | 16 September 2016 | 4 October 2016 | |
| Pat Mountain (acting) | N/A | 30 October 2019 | 25 April 2020 | |
| Lois Perry | N/A | 13 May 2024 | 15 June 2024 |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marian Donnelly (b. 1938) | March 1992[38] | 1994[39] | 1993 Northern Ireland local elections |
| Leader | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Ballantyne | South Scotland[a](Scottish Parliament) | 11 January 2021[40] | 16 February 2022 | 2021 Scottish Parliament election |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heidi Allen (Acting) (b. 1975) | South Cambridgeshire | 29 March 2019 | 4 June 2019 | 2019 European Parliament election | |
| Anna Soubry (b. 1956) | Broxtowe | 4 June 2019 | 19 December 2019 | 2019 general election |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nina Temple (b. 1956) | 13 January 1990[41] | 23 November 1991[42] | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Ward | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Marie Waters (b. 1977) | N/A | October 2017[43] | 13 July 2022 | 2019 local elections 2021 local elections 2022 local elections |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorraine Mann | Autumn 1998[44] | 24 August 2004[45] | 1999 Scottish Parliament election |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Maxton | 1953[46] | 1958 | 1955 United Kingdom general election |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christine Papworth | April 2005[47] | October 2011[48] | 2005 Jersey general election 2008 Jersey general election |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Parker-Brown | 2005[49] | 2008 | None |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amanda Ringwood | November 2000[50] | 2012 | 2001 local elections 2002 local elections 2010 general election |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monica McWilliams (b. 1954) | Belfast South[a] (Northern Ireland Assembly)[b] | April 1996[51] | 11 May 2006[51] | 1996 NI Forum election 1997 general election 1998 NI Assembly election 2001 NI local elections 2001 general election 2003 NI Assembly election 2005 NI local elections | |
| Pearl Sagar (b. 1958) | Belfast East[a] (Northern Ireland Forum)[c] |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linda Smith | ![]() | 2004 | 2005 | N/A |
| Salma Yaqoob (b. 1971) | 2005 | September 2012[52] | 2005 general election 2006 local elections 2010 general election 2010 local elections |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Dickson (b. 1928) | 1976[53] | Autumn 1981 | 1977 United Kingdom local elections 1979 United Kingdom general election 1981 Northern Ireland local elections |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therese Muchewicz | 15 June 2008[a][54] | 19 September 2015[55] | None |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Constituency | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikki Sinclaire (b. 1968) | West Midlands[a] (European Parliament) | June 2012[56] | 30 June 2014 | 2014 European Parliament election |
| Leader (Birth–death) | Portrait | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christabel Pankhurst (1880–1958) | November 1917[57] | June 1919[58] | 1918 general election | |
| Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) |
| Leader | Took office | Left office | Elections contested as leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jayda Fransen (acting) | December 2016 | June 2017 | 2016 London mayoral election |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)