Tory ‘women problem’ as Rachel Reeves told pregnancy might distract her from Government job

David Cameron’s official spokesman yesterday distanced the PM from a backbencher who questioned whether pregnant women should be appointed to the Cabinet.

Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell asked if Ms Reeves could give the job her “full attention”.

The Leeds West MP has said she plans to go on maternity leave within weeks of the General Election, but hopes to be appointed Work and Pensions Secretary if Labour wins on May 7.

Mr Rosindell said: “I don’t want to say someone who is having a baby is not eligible to be a Cabinet minister, but I certainly think perhaps the demands of that particular job will require someone to give it their full attention.

“I don’t expect Rachel Reeves to be in the Cabinet after the election because I expect the Conservatives to win, but clearly people need to be put in the positions they can handle.”

Asked whether the Prime Minister believed a pregnant woman could serve in the Cabinet, David Cameron’s spokesman told a regular Westminster media briefing: “Why on Earth not?”

He added: “The Prime Minister’s views around maternity leave (entitlements) is that they are universal, they apply to everyone and it is entirely a matter for individual families to take the decisions that are right for them.”

Ms Reeves, due to have her second child in June, tweeted that Mr Rosindell’s comments showed a “Tory women problem.”