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Theresa May has held on to her title as the second most powerful woman in the world as she fights to win Parliament's approval of her Brexit deal, according to a ranking by Forbes.

The Prime Minister was again behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was named the world's most powerful woman for the eighth straight year.

The Forbes magazine list, announced on Tuesday, determines a power ranking for the world's leading women by applying metrics like money, media and impact.

The oldest in the top-100 is Queen Elizabeth II, who at age 92 ranked 23rd, while 28-year-old pop star Taylor Swift was youngest (68th).

Forbes top 10 most powerful women 1. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of German 2. Theresa May, British Prime Minister 3. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director at IMF 4. Mary Barra, Chairperson and CEO at General Motors 5. Abigail Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Fidelity Investments 6. Melinda Gates, Cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 7. Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube 8. Ana Botin, Chairman of Banco Santander SA 9. Marillyn Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin 10. Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM

Notable debutantes include tennis star Serena Williams (ranked 79th) and Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (91st), while US politician Hilary Clinton dropped out of the list for the first time since it started in 2004.

International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde of France ranked third, while US General Motors boss Marty Barra (4th) and philanthropist Melinda Gates (6th), the wife of Bill Gates, also ranked highly.

The top-100 women control or influence nearly 2 trillion US dollars in revenue and oversee some five million employees, Forbes said.

Forbes executive vice president Moira Forbes said the 2018 list reflects the volatile state of global business and politics.

"The world's most powerful women are leading amidst a tumultuous time where geopolitical tensions are on the rise, key economies are facing instability, and where trust in institutions is at an all-time low," she said.

Mrs Merkel, who recently announced she will not seek re-election after 13 years in power in Germany, retained the top spot for the eighth straight year.

The Prime Minister's second place ranking comes as she faced an "unprecedented" day in Parliament after MPs decided the government was in contempt for refusing to publish advice from the country's top law officer about Brexit.

The House of Commons voted 311-293 in favor of a motion by opposition parties censuring the government for failing to reveal the full guidance from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, despite an earlier vote by Parliament calling them to do so.

Labour Party Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said the contempt finding was "unprecedented," and the government said it would now publish the advice.