Furious female Labour MPs urge Starmer to make a woman his de facto deputy

Harriet Harman leads calls for an appointment that would turbocharge' a complete culture change' at No 10

Female Labour MPs have demanded that Keir Starmer appoint a senior woman as his de facto deputy to oversee a complete culture change" in Downing Street after a series of scandals that they say have exposed a No 10 boy's club".

Harriet Harman, one of the party's most senior figures, urged Starmer to revive the role of first secretary of state on Wednesday, a post occupied by Peter Mandelson under Gordon Brown.