Maureen Colquhoun served as the Labour MP for Northampton North between 1974 and 1979. After leaving parliament, she moved to the Lake District. In 1998, Colquhoun became a member of the Lake District’s National Park Authority and left the post in 2006. During her time with the authority she campaigned for speed limits on Lake Winderemere. Colquhoun was also an elected councillor for Ambleside on Lakes Parish Council. After learning about Colquhoun’s passing, the Labour MP for Wallasey, Angela Eagle, wrote on LabourList: “Maureen Colquhoun was a feminist and LGBT rights activist who also happened to be the first out lesbian in the House of Commons.
Maureen Colquhoun, fearless campaigning Left-winger who was Britain’s first ‘out’ lesbian MP – obituary
Combative and voluble, in 1976 she left her husband for the woman with whom she spent the rest of her life, but lost her seat in 1979
3 February 2021 • 11:29am
Maureen Colquhoun (1977): she spoke out for an end to first-class rail travel, for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland, and on behalf of British shoemakers, among many other issues
Credit: ITN/Shutterstock
Maureen Colquhoun, who has died aged 92, was a warm and tempestuous Labour Left-winger, an irrepressible enthusiast on a host of issues, who in 1976 became the first MP to “come out” as a lesbian.
A TWO-WEEK festival aiming to celebrate and protect Cumbria s night-time skies is to begin this week. A series of live online events will include an evening with acclaimed filmmaker Terry Abraham and a talk from Dr Martin Kitching, director and senior guide of Northern Experience Wildlife Tours, on creatures of the night. The festival is being held by charity Friends of the Lake District (FoLD). A spokesman for the Lake District National Park Authority said on social media: Light up your February with us by celebrating the Cumbria Dark Skies Festival, beginning next weekend. A spokesman for the festival said: Live events over 17 evenings in February give you the opportunity to explore our dark skies with astronomers, astrophotographers, authors, filmmakers, lighting and design professionals, performers, poets and outdoor adventurers.
Maureen Colquhoun, former Labour MP for Northampton North (Getty/Doreen Spooner)
Former Labour MP Maureen Colquhoun, the first out lesbian to sit in the House of Commons, has passed away at the age of 92.
The vocal LGBT+ and women’s rights campaigner, who served as Member of Parliament for Northampton North from 1974 to 1979, passed away on Tuesday (2 February).
Labour MP Angela Eagle, who followed in Colquhoun’s footsteps as only the second out lesbian MP, was among those to pay tribute, saying: “This is very sad news. Maureen Colquhoun was a feminist pioneer and paved the way for all those of us who came after her – RIP.”