Emily Davison, the suffragette who locked herself in a broom cupboard on census night so she could be recorded as "a woman in parliament" and was later killed when she fell under the King's Horse at Ascot, deserves a statue in her honour.
As the only Emily ever to be elected an MP, I am leading a campaign to ensure she gets a statue right here in parliament, and I'd like some help.
Last week I spoke to four girls from Islington schools who were studying politics for A-level. They had just been on a tour of Parliament and had been given a very strong message - that it wasn't for them.
Only 22% of MPs elected in 2010 were women and only four sit in the Cabinet. But it's not just the living; men dominate Parliament's history and how it presents itself. Of the 100 statues of politicians who have made their mark, only 6 are of women; two of Thatcher, two of Nancy Astor, one of Barbara Castle and one of Betty Boothroyd.
Attempts have been made to represent women in some of the modern portraits, but these are not on the main visitors’ route. Visitors see men.
Last year, on the anniversary of Emily Davison’s death, I held a memorial for her in Parliament, which you can watch . This launched the campaign for a statue of her, which is supported by the Fawcett Society, Helen Pankhurst, more than 70 MPs and hundreds of people across the country.
The Parliamentary authorities have been persuaded to commission a lasting memorial to the struggle for women’s suffrage, and next week we will be deciding on an artist to develop ideas.
I believe that this artwork should be a statue of Emily Davison. She can stand alongside the men and provide inspiration, and stimulate the telling of stories – stories of how women were excluded from parliament for most of its history, and what a fight there was for the vote.
We must inspire girls to get involved in politics, and we must ensure that they don't take their vote for granted. An abstract piece celebrating gender, understood only by some and placed in an obscure corner, would be a wasted opportunity. A commemoration of women's suffrage should be accessible, because it has a big job to do.
If you want to recognise the women who fought and won our right to vote, and send a clear message that politics today needs more women involved, then sign the petition to erect a statue of Emily Davison in Parliament here.