Ed Miliband: I will create a Secretary of State for Women and Equalities

Apr 11 2014
Written by Scott Roberts

Labour would have a Secretary of State for Women and Equalities if it won the next election, Ed Miliband has announced.

The Mail reports Mr Miliband said yesterday: “If there’s a Labour government, the post of Women and Equalities minister will be cabinet rank.”

This could be a Secretary of State for Women, he said.

Gloria De Piero is Labour’s current Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities.

Mr Miliband also promised that 50% of the cabinet would be women.

In a government reshuffle on Wednesday, sparked by the resignation of Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities Maria Miller, Ms Morgan was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury and also Minister for Women.

Unlike the new Equalities Secretary Sajid Javid, she voted against same-sex marriage last year, saying “marriage is between a man and a woman.”

Labour criticised the appointment of Ms Morgan, due to her voting record and also with the reshuffle resulting in the joint ministerial portfolio of women and equalities being separated for the first time since its creation in 1997.

Ms Morgan will report directly to the Prime Minister and not the Equalities Secretary, leading several critics to accuse David Cameron of making the Minister for Women post subordinate to a man.

However, Conservative MP and Planning minister Nick Boles tweeted it was a “tedious suggestion” to make.

Downing Street told PinkNews the departmental changes reflected David Cameron’s desire to take a greater interest in women’s policy across government.

But the Chair of LGBTory said the appointment of Nicky Morgan and the resulting portfolio changes showed the government “in a poor light”.