Little Mix have made Brit Awards history after picking up the Best British Group award. 

It is the first time the prize has ever been awarded to an all-female band in the ceremony’s 41-year history. 

After their win during Tuesday night’s event, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards made a powerful speech that referenced music industry sexism and shouted out the girl groups who came before them. 

Perrie began by saying: “Oh my goodness. Guys, we have just made history! I’m really emotional.”

Revealing they’d prepared a speech in case of their win, Leigh-Anne continued by thanking members of their team and former bandmate Jesy Nelson, who quit the group earlier this year. 

She then went on to say: “It is not easy being a female in the UK pop industry. We have seen the white male dominance, misogyny, sexism and lack of diversity.

“We are proud of how we stuck together, stood our ground, surrounded ourselves with strong women and are now using our voices more than ever.”

Jade then said: “The fact that a girl band has never won this award really does speak volumes. So this award is not just for us, it is for the Spice Girls, Sugababes, All Saints, Girls Aloud, all of the incredible, incredible female bands. This one is for you.”

Little Mix’s win tops off a huge few weeks for the band. 

Last month, they released their first single as a trio, a reworked version of their song Confetti, which featured a guest verse from US rapper Saweetie.

Leigh-Anne then announced she and fiancé Andre Gray were expecting their first child together, while just days later, Perrie and her partner Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shared their own special news.