The Women’s Equality Party (WE) is encouraging female Labour MPs to join its movement, after another male nomination to a top job.

Steve Rotheram will be Labour’s candidate in next year’s Mayoral election in Liverpool, after a vote among Labour members in the region. The news sparked Women’s Equality Party to extend an invitation to female Labour MPs and promising that gender would not prove to be a barrier within the party.

“There was wry laughter when we heard that yet again the Labour Party has overlooked talented women for its top jobs,” said WEP leader Sophie Walker.

“The Labour Party now has a male leader, deputy and shadow chancellor, and will be holding a leadership contest between two men in September after Angela Eagle fell out of the race. In addition, Rotherham joins fellow Mayoral candidates Andy Burnham for Manchester and Sion Simon for the West Midlands, who will seek to become elected Mayors alongside Sadiq Khan in London and Marvin Rees in Bristol. Where are the women?”

Walker also noted that Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn selected men to fill the majority of the shadow cabinet’s senior roles last year.

She said: “WE are serious about inviting Labour MPs – and indeed politicians from across the political spectrum – who are sick of being overlooked and sidelined by their own parties because of their gender to join us.”

“In its 116 year history, and in spite of its claims to be the party of equality for all, Labour has never had a female leader,” she continued. “It is almost as if it has forgotten about its female membership, so we also extend a warm hand of welcome to any Labour supporters – male or female – who want political representation from a party that makes gender equality a priority. Labour has, in the past, made great strides in pushing forward on diversity, but now it seems it really does have a women problem – and that’s just not funny.”