Union bosses demand Theresa May dumps trademark kitten heels to promote women’s rights

UNION bosses have demanded Theresa May dump her trademark kitten heels and wear flat shoes instead to promote women’s rights.

Senior GMB official Penny Robinson insisted the PM needs to send out a message that women do not have to wear high heels to “meet men’s expectations”.

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It came as the TUC annual conference voted unanimously for the law to be changed so women were not “compelled to wear heels at work”.

The Trades Union conference in Brighton debated the issue after a petition gained more than 150,000 signatures earlier this year.

Receptionist Nicola Thorp was sent home on her first day at a receptionist job in London without being paid – for refusing to wear high heels.

Ms Thorp said she was told she could only work at accountants PricewaterhouseCoopers’ in two to four inch heels.

She then launched a campaign to get the law changed.

Ms Robinson said the PM could ditch her kitten heels and “make a point of wearing pumps, flats or comfortable shoes for Cabinet meetings or when she meets EU leaders”.

In a direct message aimed at Mrs May she said: “Let the media see that you can be the most powerful woman in the country without wearing design shoes to meet men’s expectations.”

Currently employers can dismiss staff who fail to live up to “reasonable” dress code demands.

TUC delegates backed a motion not to ban high heels but in favour of “common sense and fairness in the workplace”.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady added: “We need common sense when it comes to dress codes, not outdated sexist policies.

“It is ridiculous that so many employers still insist their female staff wear high heels and make-up in 2016.

“Regularly wearing high heels increases wear and tear on knee joints and can lead to back problems. They should be a choice, not a condition of the job.”

A spokeswoman for Mrs May declined to comment.