Political parties told to close "gender gap"
Political parties should be forced to reveal their own "gender gap", a pressure group has said.
The Electoral Reform Society has called for laws requiring political parties to publish the demographic make-up of their election candidates.
The society said the legislation was already in place under the Equality Act, but needed to be enacted by the Government for it to come into force.
It said just 32 per cent of MPs and 33 per cent of local councillors in the UK were women.
The group said the information would increase the accountability of parties and their local branches, creating positive competition.
Jess Garland, the society's director of policy and research, said: "Now that companies have revealed their gender pay gaps, it’s time UK parties tackled the inequality in their own back yards.
"We’ve seen businesses play their part – now government and political parties must play theirs in showing their diversity figures.
"Much like the gender pay gap, political inequality is holding back progress in this country."
Last year the parliamentary women and equalities committee advised against bringing in the laws, voicing concerns about potential "regulatory burdens".
It said it would instead "continue the process of engaging with the parties to ensure greater transparency".
