At 24, the youngest MP of all

Claire Ward has just won the Watford seat, and at 24 will be the youngest female MP in the new Parliament, although not the most inexperienced. She is already a councillor and Mayor of Elstree and Borehamwood, in Hertfordshire, writes Fran Abrams.

Speaking on the Embankment at Westminster yesterday she said she expected the influx of new women to make a difference.

"I think men are going to find some of the women MPs looking for some real changes," she says. "We don't want to see a boys' club any more. I'm sure there will be a little resistance but I am sure there will be a forceful voice from women MPs. Women have a different perspective on politics. Quite often it is more about finding solutions than always battling."

Photograph: Brian Harris