Conservative MP Joy Morrissey has said that a Labour MP should stand for leader of the party rather than rely on cabinet quotas.

Speaking on GB News, she said: “There are 185 female Labour MPs, and none of them thought they were good enough to be running for the job.

“They’ve never had a female leader, but none of them felt like they were good enough communicators, they had to bring in Andy from the North. So why don’t they just stand for Labour leadership themselves and then they can make their own rules.

“We’ve had four female leaders, they’ve had none. Why don’t they just step up? Do they just feel that they’re not good enough?

“I don’t believe in quotas. I got here on my own merit. I beat two men in a selection. I think actually it’s better if you earn your place, and you should earn your place on merit.

“There shouldn’t be a quota for how many women. If you want that, stand for leader and show that you’re the best person for the job, and it should be based on merit.

“It shouldn’t be on a quota, a tick box. We don’t have that in the Conservatives.

“I’d rather have a woman win based on merit and be the best in the room, and it shuts down debate, because I know that I was the best on the day for my selection.

“Nancy Astor, who was the first female MP, lived in Cliveden in my constituency, and she had an accent sort of similar to mine.

“It took 100 years for them to adjust to that accent, and now I’m back. You needed a little 100 year reprieve from that.”