SHE is a leading member of the Government – and now Basingstoke MP Maria Miller has been named as one of the top 20 most powerful women in the United Kingdom.

Mrs Miller, who is Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, was ranked at 17 in The Power List 2013, which was compiled for Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

It was put together for the programme by a judging panel made up of journalist Eve Pollard, Conservative MP Priti Patel, television presenter Dawn O’Porter, Labour peer Baroness Oona King, novelist Val McDermid and former Woman’s Hour editor Jill Burridge.

The countdown ranks only the top 20 most powerful women in the UK, with The Queen topping the list. The remaining 80 most powerful women, including Kingsclere’s Clare Balding, pictured, Victoria Beckham and Adele, are not ranked.

Alice Feinstein, editor of Woman’s Hour, said the women on the list are those who have the power to bring about change.

She said: “In their search, the panel considered thousands of inspirational, accomplished women who are leaders in their fields. Their top 100 women are the ones who have the power to bring about change in 2013 – not just the truly brilliant.

“They include role models, game-changers and women who are challenging thinking in their areas as well as hiring, firing, influencing and spending. “We will use this list as a springboard from which to discuss the contribution all women make to society – and to ask why there isn’t greater diversity in the list.”

Mrs Miller, who has been the MP for Basingstoke since 2005, was appointed to the Coalition Cabinet last September.

Part of her citation in The Power List 2013 reads: “She has defended the Tories against accusations of snobbery, citing her state-school education and working-class background as proof of the diver-sity within the Party.”

Clare Balding’s citation reads: “Clare Balding was already a respected sports presenter when she won wide praise for her presentation of Channel 4’s coverage of the Paralympics 2012. In the late 1980s, she was a leading amateur jockey and horse racing has been a significant strand in her broadcasting career.”