Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, responding to the National Audit Office report on equality, diversity and inclusion in the civil service, said:

“The figures released today on the number of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities in the civil service are alarming.

“Five years of a Conservative-led Government have seen the increase in civil service diversity come to a sharp halt. Only 38 per cent of senior civil servants are women, with only 35 per cent managing to make Permanent Secretary level, and only 7 per cent of senior civil servants are from ethnic minority backgrounds. What’s worse, staff surveys have revealed that people are leaving the civil service because of a culture of exclusivity.

“This is exactly why Labour has been calling for increased diversity for a long time.

“Instead of rhetoric on diversity in his Whitehall speeches, Matthew Hancock should just get on with the job of actually building a civil service that is inclusive, reflects our society, and makes the most of the talent we have in this country.”