HARRIET HARMAN has demanded that one of Labour’s two top posts should always be held by a woman — because she believes men cannot be trusted to run organisations on their own.

Labour’s deputy leader secretly tried to change party rules two years ago to ensure that it could never again be led by an all-male team, but she was foiled.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Harman reiterates her belief in the principle and says her role as Gordon Brown’s second-in-command has changed for ever the way the party will be run.

“I don’t agree with all-male leaderships,” she said. “Men cannot be left to run things on their own. I think it’s a thoroughly bad thing to have a men-only leadership.”

Harman tried to change the party’s rules shortly after winning the deputy leadership contest. An insider who was involved said it was rejected out of hand by the party hierarchy.

Harman said it was put on the backburner because Labour was busy “getting on with the job” of running the country. She insisted she had been right to press for the change.

“In a country where women regard themselves as equal, they are not prepared to see men running the show themselves,” she said.

“I think a balanced team of men and women makes better decisions. That’s one of the reasons why I was prepared to run for deputy leader.”

She said the party “owed it to women” to have a female in one of the two top jobs, to ensure concerns of women voters were properly taken into account when decisions were being made.

“Actually, I don’t ever think there will be a men-only team of leadership in the Labour party again. People would look at it and say, ‘What? Are there no women in the party to be part of the leadership? Do men want to do it all themselves?’ It just won’t happen again,” she said.

Her attempt to change Labour’s rules was discussed by just a handful of senior party officials.

“There was amazement when Harriet suggested it,” one said. “It was seen as a naked attempt to position herself [for the leadership]. We didn’t think it was the right step.”

Harman said that, internationally, female political leaders were “coming of age”. She refused to be drawn on her ambitions, saying she believed Brown would win the next election and remain in the top job.

Harman has led a determined campaign to promote more women to top jobs, particularly in the City. Under her controversial new equality bill, employers will be given a legal right to choose female candidates in favour of equally qualified male applicants.

She faced a battle with Lord Mandelson over fears that the legislation could increase red tape for businesses struggling in the recession. She admitted her feminist agenda had sometimes caused “creative tension” in government, but said she was determined to ensure women’s voices were heard.

In a wide-ranging interview, Harman also admitted to mistakes over the Equality and Human Rights Commission. She defended her controversial decision to reappoint Trevor Phillips, its chairman, which triggered a spate of resignations from commissioners.

She revealed she has ordered Phillips to restructure the troubled organisation, which brought under one roof advocacy groups on disability, race and gender. “We put it all into a melting pot when in fact it needs to be distinct strands,” she said. “I think the model was not one that was likely to succeed and it hasn’t.”

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