Margaret McCrorie Herbison, a Labour Member of Parliament from Scotland, was a member of the British delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) from 1949 to 1950 and is believed to be the only woman Representative who attended the very first PACE session held in the summer of 1949. Eight other women are thought to have been accredited as Substitutes.
Known colloquially as Peggy, she was a member of the Assembly’s Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions, where she advocated for a closer collaboration between member states in the field of scientific research and technical development and for equality of opportunity in education and culture for all children.
In her home country, she later joined the government as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1964 to 1966, and as Minister of Social Security from 1966 to 1967.
During her political career, she always stayed true to her origins – she came from a mining community – and her background as a teacher. The subject of her maiden speech in the House of Commons in 1945 was poor housing conditions, especially in her hometown. Her most notable achievement in government was removing the discretionary National Assistance payment scheme and introducing Supplementary Benefit. Even after she left Parliament, her political engagement never faded.
She was a woman of enormous dignity, talent, and character, who never lost touch with her roots or the people she represented.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
