Ensuring diverse voices in parliaments: Lessons from 2025
Source: IPU
The year 2025 saw mixed progress on women’s overall representation in parliament, but a key development was the visibility and election of several women from historically disadvantaged groups, including women with disabilities, young women and women from indigenous communities, as shown in the IPU’s recently published Women in parliament in 2025 report.
United Kingdom: Towards a disability-inclusive parliament
In 2025, the Parliament of the United Kingdom embarked on a critical journey – the House of Commons Modernization Committee, under the leadership of its Chair at the time, Lucy Powell, launched an inquiry into how to make Parliament more accessible for those with disabilities.
This was not an isolated occurrence. A year earlier, the chamber had elected the highest number of MPs with disabilities in its history – at least 13 of the elected MPs either have a disability or long-term physical and mental health concerns. Nine of the 13 were women, including Marie Tidball, an MP with a congenital disability.
Since her election, Ms. Tidball has been pushing for the Parliament to become more accessible. This was not only about parliamentarians, but as she highlighted in an interview with a news website, over a fifth of the voting-age population in the country is estimated to have a disability, and it is essential to ensure that Parliament’s composition reflects those numbers. It is also important to ensure that Parliament is inclusive for other people with disabilities who might come through the doors in the future.
This development from the United Kingdom underscores an essential aspect of representative politics – as more and more diverse representatives enter politics and parliaments, they also push these institutions to become more responsive to the needs of their wider communities. In short, parliaments that look like the people are best placed to serve the people.
The year 2025 saw mixed progress on women’s overall representation in parliament, but a key development was the visibility and election of several women from historically disadvantaged groups, including women with disabilities, young women and women from indigenous communities, as shown in the IPU’s recently published Women in parliament in 2025 report.
United Kingdom: Towards a disability-inclusive parliament
In 2025, the Parliament of the United Kingdom embarked on a critical journey – the House of Commons Modernization Committee, under the leadership of its Chair at the time, Lucy Powell, launched an inquiry into how to make Parliament more accessible for those with disabilities.
This was not an isolated occurrence. A year earlier, the chamber had elected the highest number of MPs with disabilities in its history – at least 13 of the elected MPs either have a disability or long-term physical and mental health concerns. Nine of the 13 were women, including Marie Tidball, an MP with a congenital disability.
Since her election, Ms. Tidball has been pushing for the Parliament to become more accessible. This was not only about parliamentarians, but as she highlighted in an interview with a news website, over a fifth of the voting-age population in the country is estimated to have a disability, and it is essential to ensure that Parliament’s composition reflects those numbers. It is also important to ensure that Parliament is inclusive for other people with disabilities who might come through the doors in the future.
This development from the United Kingdom underscores an essential aspect of representative politics – as more and more diverse representatives enter politics and parliaments, they also push these institutions to become more responsive to the needs of their wider communities. In short, parliaments that look like the people are best placed to serve the people.