The fall of Maria Miller has created two vacancies, because she held two Cabinet-level posts – one as secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, and another as minister for Women and Equalities. (Our blogger Jonn Elledge describes this as Miller being “minister for low Tory priorities”).
As I said on Woman’s Hour on Monday, it’s fair to say Miller didn’t make a big splash as minister for women. She spearheaded a Guide for Girls about aspirational careers, and an initiative to promote childcare for business – although this was sold, to make it palatable to Tories, as being about “economic reality, not political correctness”. But the major feminist initiatives of this parliament, such as the work against FGM, the campaign for compulsory sex and relationships education to include the teaching of consent, and the attempts to raise awareness of airbrushing and body image issues, all originated either with backbenchers or were championed by other departments. Miller, who described herself as a “very modern feminist”, laid her cards on the table just weeks after being appointed when she said she personally supported a reduction in the upper limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 20. There would be no bra-burning in her department.
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