Gender pay gap closing fastest in the capital

The pay gap between men and women is narrowing faster in London than anywhere else in the country, figures suggest today.

The Office for National Statistics found that the gender pay gap in the capital was 17.6 per cent this year, down by 1.8 per cent on last year.

Across Britain, London is top of the league table while the South-East is bottom, with a gap of 24.9 per cent.

Minister for women Harriet Harman said: "It's encouraging to see women's pay gaining ground on men, showing London is a great place for women to work, despite parts of the City, where we know sexism is still rampant."

Across the country women are paid on average nearly a quarter less than men. The ONS figures show that nationally, the private sector is lagging behind the public sector by more than a third.