Labour Deputy leader backs Andy Burnham to end 'boys club' culture in Downing Street

Labour Deputy leader backs Andy Burnham to end 'boys club' culture in Downing Street The Deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell shared she had experienced 'unpleasant' briefings in Number 10, which created a culture where people were afraid to speak out Andy Burnham will change a “boys club” culture of factional briefings at Downing Street, Lucy Powell has claimed. The Deputy Labour leader shared she had experienced “unpleasant” briefings in Number 10, which created a culture where people were afraid to speak out. Speaking to the Guardian, Ms Powell shared briefings against female figures in the Cabinet were evidence of a “boys club” at the top of government. She said: “It created more of a culture of not feeling that you could speak out on things for fear of giving you a black mark against your name. That is the culture and the atmosphere that we really need to address. “There was very clearly a pattern over time of anonymous nasty briefings against colleagues being disproportionately meted out to women. But there was also a culture that became very factional, and appointments being made on the basis of which faction or which friendship group you were in. It was not a meritocracy in any sense and not a broad church.” Andy Burnham said this week that he would sack any staff who briefed against or undermined women in his team. The Makerfield MP told members of the women’s parliamentary Labour party: “I want to make it clear that if anyone in my team was found to have done that [negative briefing] they would be out of the door. Their feet wouldn’t touch the floor.” Asked if she thought No 10 culture would be different under the former Greater Manchester Mayor, she said: “I do – how is something we’ll all need to help with, and be part of. “All of us are very keen to ensure that there is diversity of opinion and representation of all the different traditions of the party and country as well as obviously making sure that we’ve got strong voices from women at the top of the party”. Mr Burnham is facing pressure to appoint a high number of female cabinet ministers if he becomes PM. Labour’s female MPs wrote to Mr Burnham this week to ask him to commit to a 50/50 gender split for ministers and staff.