Theresa May against female quotas

Home Secretary and minister for women and equalities Theresa May has lambasted the potential introduction of quotas for women on boards.

May's reasoning was outlined in a letter to the European Commission's consultation on introducing female quotas.

'"The past year has seen the biggest ever jump in the number of women on boards, and some of the UK's leading companies are now reporting on gender diversity, which will help more women rise to the top," she stated, in reference to the number of women on boards rising from 12.5% to 16% in the previous 12 months.

'"We abandoned the last government's approach of simply trying to dictate how people should behave," the home secretary added. "We are encouraging firms to use women's talents by helping them see the business benefits. But we must allow them to get on with their job."

David Cameron had previously stated that if businesses do not continue to improve gender equality at board level, he will contemplate following other European countries by initiating mandatory quotas.