Fey Weldon on the Today Programme: 'Women just fell in love with Tony Blair'

The author said she had hoped when 101 women were elected to the Commons in 1997 that there would be some "great wild sweep of social change", but it had not happened.

"My great fear is that women just fell in love with Tony Blair," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"In a way you feel the attraction of the leader is so great they just want him to love them."

She also said that many of the women were too similar.

Fay Weldon says the women MPs all look the same

"I think about 90 of the Blair babes speak with one voice, and when 90 women speak with one voice you wonder what is going on."

The controversy was sparked by an article Ms Weldon wrote for the political magazine the New Statesman.

She said the women MPs had failed to make an impact, and would do anything for promotion.

"It's yes Tony, no Tony, smile at me, Tony. How wise and wonderful and powerful you are, Tony," wrote Ms Weldon.

Women 'better off'

But her claims were denied by Labour MP for Pontefract and Castleford, Yvette Cooper.

"The big, important thing is to judge by results," she said.

"I asked a Parliamentary question a couple of months ago about the impact of all of the budgets since the election on women and men separately. The answer that came back was that women have benefited by over twice as much as men.

"On average women were �275 a year better off compared to �120 a year for men. The reason for that is because women are more likely to be living in poverty, more likely to be looking after children."

She also dismissed the author's criticisms that all Labour women have similar haircuts and dress sense.

"If you start talking about suits and haircuts, that is exactly the problem.

"Women in all sorts of fields have been trivialised, not just politics, by talking about their haircuts rather than what they are actually doing."