By Daniel Martin
Harriet Harman today appeared to blame the onset of the global financial crisis on too many male bankers.
The Labour Deputy Leader called for more women to be given seats in the boardrooms of the biggest financial institutions and suggested they would do a better job than men.
Referring to one of the U.S. banks which folded, Ms Harman said: 'Someone said that if it had been Lehman Sisters, instead of Lehman Brothers, there might not have been so much difficulty.
You can't trust men: Harriet Harman on television today
'I have to say it was not me that said that.
'But I do seriously think that half the financial service industry is women now.
'Women make up half the workforce of insurance companies and banks. Why shouldn't they have a say on the boards as well?'
Ms Harman, who is charge of No 10 while Gordon Brown is on holiday, told GMTV: 'When I was first in politics issues like wanting to have longer maternity leave for women after they've had a baby, wanting to be able work flexibly, making sure that part-time workers, who are mostly women, weren't treated as second-class citizens - those sort of issues didn't get a look-in in politics, when politics was overwhelmingly men.'
Angry: John Prescott rebuked Miss Harman for stoking leadership speculation
It comes after a row with former deputy prime minister John Prescott after Ms Harman demanded that one of Labour's two top jobs should always go to a woman.
Mr Prescott lambasted the scheme as undemocratic, and rebuked Miss Harman for stoking up leadership speculation.
In an open letter to her on his blog, Mr Prescott said she should 'stop complaining and get campaigning'.
The intervention came a day after Miss Harman said in an interview that men could not be trusted with power on their own.
Soon after she was appointed Labour's deputy leader two years ago, she tried to change the rules to ensure that the party is never again led by an all-male team.
The plan did not attract support. Yet in an interview with yesterday's Sunday Times, she said: 'I don't agree with all-male leaderships.
'Men cannot be left to run things on their own. I think it's a thoroughly bad thing to have a men-only leadership.'
Tory opponents branded her campaign as 'politically correct garbage', saying talented women can climb to the top of the greasy pole without help, just as Margaret Thatcher did.
Mr Prescott said he had read her comments on all-male leaderships with ' sadness'. 'Quotes like this just raise leadership issues once again, just at a time when we should all be pulling together and defending our record,' he said.
'Why take away from the party the right to choose its leaders on the basis of ability? You can't dictate equality in leadership elections. You must let the party decide.
'I was beaten fair and square in the 1992 deputy leadership election by Margaret Beckett.
'You yourself beat four men to become deputy leader in 2007. In theory you were elected on not your gender. The system works and I think we should keep it that way.'
Miss Harman is in charge of the country while Gordon Brown is away on holiday, and opponents see her plan as little more than a power grab.
As equalities minister, a role she holds on top of being her party's deputy leader, Miss Harman has pushed through controversial legislation under which employers will be given a legal right to employ female candidates in favour of equally qualified male applicants.
In her interview, she said: 'In a country where women regard themselves as equal, they are not prepared to see men running the show themselves.
'I think a balanced team of men and women makes better decisions. That's one of the reasons why I was prepared to run for deputy leader.'
Miss Harman said Labour 'owed it to women' to have a female in one of the two top jobs - to ensure the concerns of women were taken into account.
She admitted that her feminist agenda had caused ' creative tension' in Government, and would not be drawn on her leadership ambitions - saying she believed Gordon Brown would win the next election, and remain in the top job.
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, said: 'This is the kind of politically correct garbage that so infuriates people and has led Labour to be where they are in the opinion polls.
'All people want is that everyone should get their job based on merit alone.'
Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said the idea of reserving one of Labour's top posts for a woman was 'remarkably silly' and ' demeaning' to women.