Jobs must be handed out on merit and not on gender, religion or sexual orientation, an MP has warned.
Shipley MP Philip Davies demanded assurances from newly appointed Equalities Minister Justine Greening that employers will be blind to everything apart from ability to do the job.
He said: “The Conservative Party have shown that women can get to the very top by merit. When she is looking at issues can she give me the assurance that merit will always be the deciding factor on whether people are promoted to a role or not, irrespective of gender race or sexual inclination. When we are recruiting people recruiters should be blind to those things.”
Ms Greening said: “There are plenty of fantastic women out there and who are ready, willing and able to get into those top jobs. I assure him there will be no compromise on merit.”
Mr Davies said favourable treatment to women and ethnic minorities in the recruitment process amounted to positive discrimination.