women PROBLEMS discovered

Mr Corbyn remained in an office at the Houses of Parliament until 1am this morning as he attempted to finalise many of the appointments, with more expected to follow today.

But when Sky News attempted to ask him about the lack of women appointments, he remained silent as he walked down the street.

John Mann, Labour MP for Bassetlaw, said the lack of women in senior shadow cabinet positions is a "big problem".

He told BBC Breakfast: "Well if it remains like it is it's a big problem. Jeremy is going to have to learn what leadership is about, and so some of his mates now today won't get jobs because he is going to have to put some women in instead.

"He has appointed three women from London. He needs to ensure that the whole country is represented and it is not just a London-led leadership.

"That diversity - geographically, gender wise - that is fairly critical."

Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham yardley, said: “I am very unhappy about it. It’s massively tone-deaf.

“On Saturday the Labour Party held a conference where not a single woman stood up and spoke. There was quite a lot of criticism and I personally felt alienated from the party I fought for all my life.

“The next day, that was how they chose to follow up.

“It makes me feel a little bit further alienated.

“I shall look forward to telling Jeremy Corbyn my opinion.”

She added: “It is not a good start in my opinion for equality, which obviously is a thing I care a lot about.”

More women are likely to be selected today, possibly tipping the overall gender balance of the shadow cabinet in their favour.

Hilary Benn, the shadow foreign secretary, said that Mr Corbyn's shadow cabinet would be made up of 50 per cent women.

When asked why no women feature in the top five jobs, Mr Benn said: "Two of those five were elected by the members, that's Jeremy and Tom. It is a slightly old-fashioned view [that only these roles are important]. International development is Diane Abbott and the refugee crisis has shown how this role is vital.

"Jeremy is committed to having a shadow cabinet in which half of its members are women - and that has never happened before."

Diane Abbott has been appointed by Mr Corbyn  Photo: CLARA MOLDEN

Women already appointed include Diane Abbott, shadow secretary of state for international development, Seema Malhotra, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle, the shadow first secretary of state and Heidi Alexander, shadow health secretary.