Male-only Garrick club 'to welcome first female members including ex-Home Secretary Amber Rudd' after 193 years amid sexism row

The male-only Garrick Club could welcome the first female members in its 193-year history, with former Home Secretary Amber Rudd's name reportedly on a list of potential candidates.

The £1,700-a-year club has long been at the centre of controversy over its all-male membership, and now it appears that a host of members including actor Stephen Fry are calling for women to be permitted to join.

According to broadcaster Emily Maitlis, who claimed on X that she had seen a formal letter proposing the candidates, club trustees have written to the chairman requesting that women 'will be considered on the same basis as men'.

They reportedly informed the chair that the female candidates' forms are being 'prepared and signed as soon as possible', and also asked for confirmation 'that they are eligible for membership.'

Eminent women reportedly being recommended for the club include actor Juliet Stevenson, classicist Dame Mary Beard, broadcaster Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, and Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman.

Former Newsnight presenter Maitlis said that the letter 'comes ahead of a crucial club meeting April 4 - which will bring this matter to a head.'

Maitlis co-hosts current affairs podcast the News Agents along with fellow former BBC journalist Jon Sopel, the corporations's former North America Editor.

Sopel, recently became a member of the Garrick himself following a lengthy wait, joining former BBC colleague Jeremy Paxman in its hallowed halls.

The elite club, which counts the King among its members, is one of the oldest in Britain and has repeatedly blocked attempts to allow women to join.

It has long been urged to allow women in as members, not just guests as it currently permits.

In 2011, Joanna Lumley tried unsuccessfully to become the first female member when she was proposed by Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville. 

Earlier this month, top civil servant Simon Case and MI6 boss Sir Richard Moore resigned from the club after their names were published on a leaked list of members.

The all-male list sparked a row over sexism, with critics saying the civil servants' involvement in the club made a mockery of their efforts to make their institutions more inclusive.

But others criticised the men for leaving the institution following the outrage, with one member felt it showed a lack of 'backbone' to be 'bullied by the thought police' into quitting.

Former minister Ben Wallace defended senior male politicians and civil servants who are members of the club, saying they should be 'left alone'.

Asked about the situation in an LBC interview, the former defence secretary suggested the furore was overblown.

'I just wish people would all be left alone. If a whole load of men want to get together and have a club, it's up to them. 

'We have this round every few years and it's the Garrick Club, there are plenty of all male clubs. There are actually all-female clubs out there right?'

A group of prominent female lawyers staged a protest on the steps of the central London club today.

Feminist barristers Charlotte Proudman and Julia Needham, as well as Labour MP Apsana Begum were among those who organized and signed an open letter calling on the club to improve its diversity.

'For too long, the Garrick Club has stood as a symbol of exclusivity, a bastion of power maintained by the privileged few — predominantly white men who hold sway over the decisions affecting our society, our political system, our justice system, our media, and arts and culture,' the letter said. 

The Garrick Club has been contacted for comment.