Minister jeered over all-male panel

Treasury Minister Sajid Javid was jeered by Labour MPs yesterday when he said all appointments to a powerful Bank of England committee are made “on merit” when asked why no women had been appointed since June 2010.

By The Newsroom

Published 12th Mar 2014, 05:00 BST

Shadow minister Cathy Jamieson urged the Government to “put right” the fact no women had been appointed to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which sets interest rates, for nearly four years.

Provoking loud jeers in the Commons, Mr Javid said: “Appointments to the MPC should always be made on merit.”

During the regular Commons Treasury questions session, the minister added: “Diversity, of course, is always an important consideration and when deciding on external members, the MPC looks at career training and background, as well as ethnicity and gender.

“The Government would like to see more women on the MPC and will encourage them to apply.”