A-Z Of Great Scots
Jennie Lee, MP, journalist and the founder of the Open University
“A bold and brilliant woman was in their midst
LJennie Lee, Lioness of Labour, journalist and MP who founded the Open University
IN 1929, a young working class woman from a Lochgelly mining family caused an almighty stir when she sashayed into parliament wearing an emerald green velvet evening gown.
The next day, newspapers compared her to a Bond Street mannequin.
Journalists were predictably preoccupied with her looks, but whatever Jennie Lee wore to work paled in comparison to her keen mind, fervent socialism and steadfast courage.
Earlier that year, she had become the youngest woman in the House of Commons when she won the North Lanarkshire by-election for the Independent Labour Party – all the more remarkable because at 24, she wasn’t old enough to vote.
Her maiden speech left the men of Westminster in no doubt that a bold and brilliant woman was in their midst – and she was ready to fight.
The first time she spoke in parliament Jennie lambasted Winston Churchill, then chancellor of the exchequer, accusing him of corruption and incompetence. Churchill was awed and congratulated her on such an impassioned speech.
Jennie lost her seat in 1931 and then married Labour politician Nye Bevan three years later. She continued to fight for the people as a journalist, turning her attention to the rise of fascism in Spain. In 1937, she travelled to Spain to report on the civil war, meeting up with George Orwell in Barcelona and writing about her experiences.
She returned to parliament as the Labour MP for Cannock and when Harold Wilson made Jennie the first minister for the arts in 1964, she was tasked with establishing a distance-learning university.
Her proposals were met with disdain, even within her party, but thanks to her unwavering belief in higher education for everyone, 1971 saw the first intake of Open University students embark on their degrees.
Wilson later said it had been his government’s greatest achievement, and since its creation, more than 2.2 million students have studied there.
Tenacious, rebellious and spirited, Jennie Lee always lived up to her nickname of the “Lioness of Labour”.