Kemi Badenoch has said she would not want a man performing an "intimate" examination which checks for breast cancer. The Conservative leader said she would "definitely want a woman" to perform a breast screening exam.It comes as experts from the Society of Radiographers (SoR) said that male health workers should be allowed to perform mammograms to help tackle workforce shortages.Mammography is the only health examination exclusively carried out by female staff. Every three years, women aged 50 to 71 are invited for breast screening, also known as a mammogram.These scans look for cancers that are too small to see or feel.The SoR has called for a change in policy amid "critical" staff shortages among mammographers - radiographers who specialise in breast imaging. SoR officials also said male health workers could excel in the field but are being denied the chance because of their gender.

Asked about the issue, Mrs Badenoch told Times Radio: "I've had a mammogram, it is a very, very intrusive process.

"It involves the clinician holding both of your breasts for a long period of time, feeling them, manipulating them, putting them in the machine."I would not want a man doing that - (I) definitely would want a woman."

She added: "I think the solution is to get more radiographers, not to ask women, yet again, to sacrifice their privacy and dignity to deal with a supply issue.

"I don't think that's right."Mrs Badenoch also told BBC Breakfast: "I've had a mammogram, a very, very intimate examination, people are touching you in very intimate ways.

"So I think pretty much most, if not all, women would want another woman doing that."She added: "If there's a shortage of radiographers, let's get more radiographers.

"I don't see why when we have these issues, women are always forced to compromise on their privacy and dignity."I don't think that that's right.

"From my personal experience, I think it is right that women carry out mammograms."

At the SoR annual delegates' conference in London, a motion will be presented which states: "The role of a mammographer is to have technical expertise operating imaging equipment, proficiency in understanding anatomy, while maintaining patient comfort and analysing the images produced - skills learnt through education and experience.

"These are not inherently gendered attributes, specific or biased to one gender."It adds that men "might excel in this" and "offer a different perspective or approach to patient care".

The SoR said the vacancy rate among screening mammographers is 17.5%.

The vacancy rate among symptomatic mammographers - who assess women who have found a lump in their breast or have a family history of breast cancer - is almost 20%."Allowing men to work in mammography would help to reduce shortages - and therefore to reduce waiting lists," said Charlotte Beardmore, executive director of professional policy at the SoR.

"That, in turn, would ensure that every patient is given the treatment they need, when they need it."

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said: "This Government inherited a broken NHS where too many cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, including for breast cancer."

Through our Plan for Change, we are driving down waiting times, getting patients seen and treated faster."We will also tackle workforce shortages head on, and ensure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for all of us when we need it.

"Meanwhile, delegates at the SoR conference were also told transgender men should be included in the NHS breast screening programme.Patients who are registered with their GP as male are not invited for routine screening, though their GP can refer them for screening if cancer is suspected.

The DHSC spokesperson said: "Following the Supreme Court ruling, it is clear healthcare should be based on biology."

The Government will deliver a space where we can have respectful, honest conversations about where there might be challenges that arrive and resolve using common sense."