A Northern powerhouse event had an 'embarrassing' lack of women

A conference to look at the work being done on the Northern Powerhouse – launched in 2014 by former chancellor George Osborne (remember him?) – has been branded “embarrassing” by Labour MP Andy Burnham.

Journalist Helen Pidd tweeted a screenshot of the event’s press release, which listed 16 speakers. All of whom are male.

Anne Longfield, Children's Commissioner for England, wasn't included in the press release's featured speakers.

Burnham tweeted:

According to the full programme, there are 85 male speakers confirmed across the conference's two days, and 13 female speakers. Several of the panels are all-male.

The event organisers have admitted that they have under-represented women:

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