Labour must act to ensure that half the shadow cabinet and half the party’s MPs are women, Owen Smith is to say. On Thursday, the Labour leader made a promise to force employers with more than 21 staff to publish equality pay audits. Related: Owen Smith: who is the man challenging Corbyn as Labour leader? Related: Female Labour MPs call on Jeremy Corbyn to act over 'escalating abuse'Smith has established himself as a soft-left alternative to Corbyn’s leadership. With the Conservatives now led by their second female prime minister, both candidates for the Labour leadership appear to be moving to establish their credentials on the issue of gender equality.

Source: The Guardian July 22, 2016 21:30 UTC