Harriet Harman turns 60 today. In three months time she will be eligible for a state pension. However, given the government’s announcement this week that there will be no mandatory retirement age, there is no pressure on Harman to retreat from politics.

Total Politics lists some inspirational female politicians who made great achievements late into their 60s, 70s and even 80s.

  • Aged 71, Betty Boothroyd resigned as Speaker to the House of Commons. The no-nonsense national treasure famously switched off Ann Widdecombe’s microphone. Now, despite being 80, she is still a dominant figure in the Lords as Baroness Boothroyd. The Lords Speaker Baroness Hayman (aged 61) tells Total Politics that she is "hugely respected and influential when she speaks from the crossbenches". Her secret? She took up paragliding in her sixties. Harman take note.

  • Margaret Thatcher ruled as PM until she was 65 and was an MP until she was 67. However, she was far from resigned to a life of retirement. She is still an established figure within the Conservative Party, an avid writer (having written three books) and has been in and out of Number 10. In recent years, she drew criticism for being very vocal in her dislike of the EU.

  • Former deputy leader and foreign secretary Margaret Beckett is still an MP at 67. The avid caravanner stood for Speaker last year and was in her 60s when she became Britain’s first female foreign secretary. Tessa Jowell (62) and Ann Clwyd (73) are also established MPs past the retirement age.

  • And, anyway, a 60th birthday is nothing in a chamber where the average age of an MP is 50. Just ask the Commons' oldest MP, Sir Peter Tapsell, who is 80.