OLDHAM MP Debbie Abrahams has paid tribute to Oldham's suffragette Annie Kenney as the country marks 100 years since women gained the vote.

Annie, from Springhead, became a leading figure in the Suffragette movement in 1905 when she, and Christabel Pankhurst, were imprisoned for several days after heckling Winston Churchill and Sir Edward Grey at a rally in Manchester on the issue of votes for women.

Emmeline Pankhurst wrote in her autobiography that this event was the beginning of the Suffragettes’ militant phase and that they went on to interrupt a great many more meetings and events and, as a result, were often imprisoned and treated very badly.

Mrs Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, said: “In marking the centenary of women’s suffrage I remember the life of Annie Kenney, a cotton mill worker, from Springhead in my constituency who was the only working class woman to hold a senior position in the Women’s Social and Political Union.

“It is thanks to the many sacrifices made by Annie, and other suffragettes, that I have the opportunity to serve Oldham East and Saddleworth as the 366th female Member of Parliament ever elected.”

Mrs Abrahams is also a patron for the Annie Kenney Fund, set up by fellow Oldham MP Jim McMahon, along with Angela Rayner MP, and council leader Jean Stretton.

The appeal aims to fund a statue in Oldham town centre of Annie. For more information visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/annie-kenney