Covid would have been dealt with better if key decisions weren’t all made by men, says Labour frontbencher

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Part of me believes if they had a bit more diverse representation, better decisions could have been made.” Ms De Cordova said she believed entrenched structural inequalities and racism existed across UK society, adding the public health crisis had both “exposed” and “exacerbated” them. We will be turning back the clock on all the progress that has been made over the last few decades.” Recommended The pandemic is pushing women back to the 1950s Last month women and equalities minister Liz Truss gave a speech in which she criticised “identity politics” and “the idea of lived experience”, claiming race and gender were “fashionable” issues. She noted many pregnant women were unlawfully sent home on statutory sick pay or unpaid leave rather than being put on furlough during the first lockdown – branding the move “an injustice to women”. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, said last year that the policies and communication of female-led nations had been “quite stunning”, adding: “I would say for myself I’ve learned that women tend to do a better job.” A No 10 spokesperson said: “Whether it’s Kate Bingham securing one of the widest and most diverse vaccine portfolios for this country, Dido Harding leading NHS Test and Trace, or Priti Patel doing invaluable work to enforce the current restrictions, women have been at the forefront of the UK’s fight against coronavirus.