Gloria De Piero MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, responding to the Cranfield Report on Women on Boards, said:

“We welcome the progress made by companies, though the target of 25 per cent hasn’t yet been hit. But this must be just the starting point, not job done.

“With just 25 women executive directors in the entire FTSE 250, we need further ambitions to get many more women into decision-making roles both in the boardroom and at senior executive level across companies. Our future prosperity as an economy and a country relies on us fully utilising the talents of women.”