Four women and one man were shortlisted for top Bank of England job. Guess who got it?

It is often accused of being too keen on political correctness.

Now the Bank of England is under fire for a very different reason – failing to recruit enough women.

Equality campaigners hit out yesterday after a top job was given to the only man on a five-strong shortlist. Recruiters had interviewed the four women and decided none was good enough. It is a blow for governor Mark Carney, who has championed a target for 35 per cent of senior staff to be female by 2020 and insisted the word ‘chairman’ be replaced by ‘chair’ to avoid causing offence.

the new recruit is Professor Jonathan Haskel, hired as a member of the powerful interest rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee. His appointment means the ninestrong committee will still have only one female member, Professor Silvana tenreyro. Professor Haskel was hired by the treasury, which oversees senior appointments at the Bank, rather than Mr Carney himself.

But it is still embarrassing for the governor as he seeks to position himself as an enlightened leader taking the 324-year-old institution into the modern world. Labour MP Rachel Reeves, chairman of the Business Select Committee, said: ‘It is truly staggering that the treasury has failed to appoint a woman to this role. the fact that four women were shortlisted shows that there are plenty of capable and well-qualified women, but yet again the top jobs seem to be reserved for men.’

Professor Haskel was hired after interviews by mandarins Clare Lombardelli and Richard Hughes, and ex-committee member Dame Kate Barker. they made recommendations to Chancellor Philip Hammond, who took the final decision. A treasury spokesman said it was based on merit.

the Bank is male-dominated at the top, with nine men and two women on its 11strong court, effectively the board of directors. Only one of 13 members of the financial policy committee – which oversees banking stability – is female.

Last month deputy governor Ben Broadbent was accused of sexism for saying the British economy was ‘menopausal’ because he thought it was past its peak. Mr Carney said last year: ‘Our commitment to diversity cannot only be about meeting targets. It must create a culture where everyone can maximise their potential.’