Labour's Dawn Butler, SNP's Amy Callaghan and the Liberal Democrats' Wera Hobhouse are all among the record number of women who secured victories in the 2019 general election.
CNN  — 

More women MPs have been elected to the House of Commons than ever before, according to the Press Association news agency, breaking the previous record of 208 set in 2017.

With all constituencies declared, a record 220 women MPs have been elected. Female Conservative candidates won 86 seats, the most the party has ever had, and more than 50% of Labour MPs are now female. However, women still make up just over a third of lawmakers.

Related: Full UK election results

A number of well-known female MPs – including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, ex-Conservative rebel Anna Soubry and Labour rising star Laura Pidcock – all lost their seats, but newly successful female candidates have more than made up for their departures.

Swinson was replaced by Amy Callaghan of the SNP, while Dawn Butler of Labour and Wera Hobhouse of the Liberal Democrats were two female MPs to hold onto their seats.

According to the House of Commons Library, an estimated 1,123 female candidates were put forward for this election and the cohort has improved on the previous high set in 2017.

More than 50% of Labour Party candidates were female, according to the House of Commons Library, while 31% Conservative Party candidates were female.

A number of female lawmakers quit their posts prior to the election, with some citing vicious abuse and intimidation as reasons for stepping down. One four-day period in late October saw six female politicians resign because of the difficulties of being an MP, personal circumstances, or due to threats. The resignations followed on from the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016.

One woman who may be set to play a pivotal role in the future of the Labour Party is Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, who is tipped to be a candidate for the party leadership. Centrist Labour MP Jess Phillips also signaled her intention to run in a possible leadership contest as current leader Jeremy Corbyn signaled his intention to step down in the near future.

If a woman does triumph, she will become the first female leader in the history of the Labour Party.

This article has been updated to correct the number of women elected.