With timing that’s set to be awkward for Sir Keir, Taiwo Owatemi mentioned she was quitting the frontbencher to “concentrate on my work” as a constituency MP.
She mentioned it has been a “privilege” to serve within the function however that the variety of constituents contacting her for assist had “risen dramatically” attributable to the price of residing disaster.
Her resignation got here simply 90 minutes after Labour was mocked within the Home of Commons for having by no means elected a feminine chief.
Theresa Could jeered Labour’s failure to provide feminine leaders in public workplace as she congratulated Liz Truss on being made Prime Minister.
Talking at PMQs, Ms Could requested the brand new resident at No10 why all three feminine prime ministers had been Conservative.
She informed the Commons: “Could I congratulate her and welcome her to her place because the third feminine prime minister.
“Can I ask her why does she suppose it’s that each one three feminine prime ministers have been Conservative?”
The Prime Minister replied: “It’s fairly extraordinary is not it, that there would not appear to be the power within the Labour celebration to discover a feminine chief or certainly a frontrunner who would not come from north London.”
Yesterday Angela Rayner, tried to defend the celebration for by no means having had a girl chief.
She insisted that as Sir Keir’s deputy she was a Labour chief.
“I lead, imagine me,” the Ashton-under-Lyne informed BBC Radio 4.
“Me and Keir lead collectively so I don’t really feel we’re inferior in that respect.”
Labour is but to announce who will substitute Ms Owatemi within the shadow ladies and equalities function.
In her letter of resignation, the Coventry North West MP mentioned: I’m very pleased with what our shadow ministerial crew has been capable of obtain over the previous yr.
“We’ve got assembled an advisory crew to drive ahead the creation of Labour’s Race Equality Act, pressed the Authorities to ship a long-awaited ladies’s well being technique, fought for necessary ethnicity pay hole reporting and led calls to outlaw all types of confession remedy.”
Whereas Labour has solely ever appointed white males to their high job, she added that it remained “the celebration of equality”.
Extra to observe…
