Eight of nine Monetary Policy Committee members men after BoE appointment

Professor Jonathan Haskel means that eight of the nine members of the MPC are men. Of the five-strong shortlist, Haskel was the only male candidate.

Rachel Reeves MP, who chairs the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee (BEIS Committee), said it was “truly staggering”.

“Eight of the nine-strong Monetary Policy Committee are currently men and it is truly staggering that the Treasury has failed to appoint a woman to this role,” she said in a Twitter post.

"The fact that four women were shortlisted shows that there are plenty of capable and well qualified women, but yet again the top jobs seem to be reserved for men. Are we really saying only one woman should be at the top table for these crucial decisions?”

Treasury Committee chair Nicky Morgan said she was disappointed at the failure to appoint another woman to the MPC.

The Treasury itself said it had "actively" contacted 44 women to apply for the role, and added that "80 percent of those interviewed were women".

"The final appointment decision was based on merit," it said in a statement.

The news comes after BEIS’s Hampton-Alexander Review revealed the worst explanations for not appointing women to FTSE company boards. The explanations, which come from a range of FTSE 350 Chairs and CEOs, were heard by the team behind the government-backed Hampton-Alexander Review.

Ridiculous explanations for not having more women on top company boards included that “they don’t fit in”, “they don’t want the hassle” and “all the good ones have already gone”.

Business minister Andrew Griffiths said: “It’s shocking that some businesses think these pitiful and patronising excuses are acceptable reasons to keep women from the top jobs. Our most successful companies are those that champion diversity.”

Gender diversity will be discussed in the Fifth Estate column in the next edition of Credit Stategy, which will be available from June 27.