United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Downing Street has not used a female minister to lead its coronavirus press conference for more than six months, a tally by the Guardian has found, prompting accusations that Boris Johnson does not value the women in his team.

It has also emerged that the government has sent out no female minister as its main representative on the regular morning round of TV and radio interviews for five weeks – and has done so only once in the past two months.

New data on Google searches lays bare the obstacles female politicians face in trying to connect with an electorate, especially if they’re becoming well-known for the first time.

Search data gathered during four weeks of the 2019 general election campaign gives a startling insight into British voters' psychology, showing how Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson’s unsuccessful campaign was profoundly shaped by sexism.

THE SNP will tomorrow unveil a new project aimed at combating the gender balance in Scotland’s politics.

When women take part in politics, the whole of society benefits. That is the main finding of a new report from Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London.

Boris Johnson has been reprimanded after laughing when he was asked about a lack of female decision makers in the government’s coronavirus response.

Appearing before the House of Commons liaison committee, the prime minister was told by chair Sir Bernard Jenkin: “It’s not a joking matter.”

Women in politics have spoken of their experiences of dealing with sexism and hatred on social media while voicing their political opinions.

Gender equality charity Chwarae Teg said it feared a growing number of women were being put off standing for election due to online abuse.