Women's Minister job title disappears hours after Liz Truss becomes third female PM

When asked if the job title - first taken by Harriet Harman in 1997 - was abolished after the word "women" was dropped , No10 replied: "The title has changed slightly"

Video loading

Video not available

Click to playTap to play

Liz Truss' new cabinet meets for the first time to review energy bill plan

The job title of Minister for Women seems to have disappeared from government after 25 years.

Liz Truss has omitted the title of her new cabinet after becoming Britain's third female Prime Minister.

Instead, the work will be carried out by Nadhim Zahawi who goes by the title of equality minister, Downing Street said.

No10 did not rule out that the 'Women' title could go to a more junior minister, details of which were still being announced this afternoon.

But the Prime Minister's official spokesperson also said: "The title has changed slightly".

This was apparently the first time that the word Women had not appeared in the job title of an Equalities Minister since Harriet Harman was appointed Minister for Women in 1997.

Liz Truss was herself a former Minister for Women and Equalities (

Picture:

Hugo Philpott/UPI/REX/Shutterstock)

There has been a mix of two separate Ministers for Women and Equalities, or one person doing both jobs, since 1997. Women - including Liz Truss - have always held the title Minister for Women.

It comes despite Liz Truss saying during the Conservative leadership campaign “I know a woman is a woman” in trans rights debates.

When asked about the omission, the Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: 'The equalities record has not changed.

"You heard the Prime Minister during the campaign talking about his interest in women's rights and his desire to have a national register of domestic violence."