The government has rejected a campaign calling for a ban on archaic dress codes which state employers can force women to wear heels to work.

This means that employers can continue to demand female staff wear heels, as long as they are considered a requirement of their role, and that men at the company are made to dress to an “equivalent level of smartness”.

The government refused to change the existing legislation on the grounds that it is “adequate” and already prevents companies from making any gender-based discrimination.

Instead, it will be issuing a new set of guidelines on dress codes over the summer.

The controversial move comes just over a year after a woman was sent home from work without pay for refusing to wear high heels.

Nicola Thorp was dismissed on her first day as a temporary receptionist at PriceWaterHouseCooper because she refused to purchase a pair of two to four inch heels to replace the flat shoes she had turned up in.

Government slammed for “cop out” response to dress code laws