The pay gap between men and women has fallen to a record low, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

In April, the difference in pay between men and women stood at 9.4 per cent, compared with 10 per cent the previous year.

When records began in 1997, the pay gap was 17.4 per cent, the ONS said.

Liberal Democrats welcome the fall in the pay gap but recognise more still needs to be done toclose the gender pay gap.

We are leading the campaign to close the gender pay gap.

Our manifesto includes a commitment to make it a legal requirement for companies employing more than 250 people to publish the average pay of their male and female workers.

By doing so this would create pressure from staff and customers to account for and close any pay gap that exists between men and women.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Minister for Equalities Jo Swinson said:

“It’s good news to see a significant reduction in the pay gap over the last year. We should value the contribution of women and men in the workplace equally, so our vision has to be eliminating the pay gap completely.

“The Government will continue to tackle the causes of gender pay inequality. Shared Parental Leave will help to tackle the unequal split of caring responsibilities, and we are promoting pay transparency by making free pay analysis software available to employers.”