Cameron defends equality record

The Prime Minister insisted he had kept up his pledge for one in three of his ministers in Cabinet to be women by pointing out that he has reached that figure in his party following the reshuffle.

But Mr Cameron blamed the Liberal Democrats for the overall imbalance in the Cabinet.

Asked during Prime Minister’s Questions by Labour’s Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) why 75 per cent of his Cabinet are men, Mr Cameron said: “I think you are being a little bit churlish.

“The Government before my one had four women Cabinet ministers and three additional women attending Cabinet. We now have five full members of the Cabinet and an additional three attending, so more people attending.

“In terms of the Conservative Party, because of course I am leading a coalition Government, when it comes to Conservatives sitting around the Cabinet table I’m proud to say a third of them are now women.”

But Labour MPs attempted to mock Mr Cameron’s record on gender equality.

Frontbencher Gareth Thomas quipped that women being paid less than their equivalent male counterparts can now expect to have their salary topped up by the Tory Party – a reference to new Lords Leader Baroness Stowell of Beeston having her Government wage supplemented by party funds.

Mr Thomas said: “Given recent data shows that the gender pay gap is increasing again, can you confirm the excellent news that any woman not receiving equal pay for equal work will now have their salary topped up from Tory Party funds?”

Fellow Labour frontbencher Jonathan Reynolds asked the PM: “Can you explain why you have now given more knighthoods to men that you have sacked than you have given Cabinet jobs to women?”

Mr Cameron replied: “Always interesting to take a lecture from the party that gave a knighthood to Fred Goodwin, that is always a good place to start.

“I have appointed more women to the front bench, more women to our Cabinet, on the basis that they deserve those jobs and I want a team that reflects modern Britain and can be everything that modern Britain needs it to be.

“I make no apology for saying I think in public life we should recognise public service, people who have worked hard, people who have contributed to our nation, contributed to our government, and I think that is a good thing to do.”

The remarks came on the same day that the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) said Mr Cameron had failed to meet his own pledge that by the end of this parliament in 2015 a third of his ministers would be female.

With only a few junior posts remaining to be allocated, the ERS analysis found that 24 per cent of Conservative ministers – or 28 per cent if whips are included – are women.

Female representation in Cabinet was better at 30 per cent, or 31 per cent including those who attend meetings without being full members.

Female representation was lower if Liberal Democrats were included, at 23 per cent of the Cabinet and 26 per cent of all ministers and whips, the ERS said.

ERS chief executive Katie Ghose said: “It should not be so very taxing to make one in three of your ministers a woman. Even with this reshuffle, Mr Cameron has failed to do so.”