Oh thanks Sajid: Business secretary says women shouldn’t be forced to wear heels at work
It's been criticised by activists. It's been the subject of a massive social media campaign.
But now, like Naomi Campbell in a pair of Christian Louboutin's finest, the business secretary has stomped in to declare: women shouldn't have to wear high heels at work.
Thanks for that. It's only been six days since the story broke…
In a tweet last night, Sajid Javid proclaimed that "responsible employers shouldn't need the law to tell them" that women shouldn't be forced to wear heels at work.
No woman should be forced to wear high heels. Responsible employers shouldn't need the law to tell them that https://t.co/aCYTuLvmy8
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) May 15, 2016
Javid's grand proclamation comes after Nicola Thorp was sent home from work on her first day on the reception desk of PwC for refusing to wear heels last week. Portico, the agency which employed her, had a dress code which insisted women wear heels to work as receptionists.
The business secretary also highlighted a blog by PwC saying the incident was "embarrassing", calling it a "commendable response".
"As a business that places diversity at the heart of our organisation, the fact that the debate over high heels at work was sparked by an incident while Ms Thorp was due to work at one of our offices is embarrassing," PwC wrote.
"That’s why we took immediate action with the contractor that employed Ms Thorp. Put simply, such policies don’t reflect who we are."
On Friday last week, dozens of women took to Twitter using the hashtag #FawcettFlatsFriday to display their flat footwear "in solidarity with the dismissed receptionist".
But despite that, we're sure the UK's female workforce appreciates Javid's input…