Parliament line-up will be most diverse

THE new Parliament will be the most diverse yet, new analysis has shown.

After the general election, there are more women, LGBT and ethnic minority MPS than ever before.

Analysis by the Sutton Trust also found that 51 per cent of MPS went to comprehensive schools, while 29 per cent went to private school and 18 per cent selective states.

Now 45 MPS are openly lesbian, gay or bisexual – a 40 per cent increase from 2015. There are also 52 MPS of ethnic minorities: 32 Labour, 19 Tories and one Liberal Democrat. It is the highest number ever and an increase from the 41 elected in 2015.

These include Preet Gill, the first female Sikh MP, Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary who became the first ever black female MP in 1987, and Afzal Khan, Manchester’s first Muslim MP.

Women now make up 32 per cent of the Commons, compared to 24 per cent in 2015. A total of 208 women were elected to Parliament last week.