Labour MP introduces compulsory sex education bill

The bill was introduced into the House of Commons by Labour MP for Rhondda Chris Bryant.

Bryant said the law was necessary to combat the UK’s high rate of teenage pregnancy.

He added: "We should be embarrassed by the fact that the international comparisons are terrible. We have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Europe — not just slightly, but by far. It is five times higher than in the Netherlands, three times higher than in France and twice as high as it is in Germany. We should do everything that we possibly can to change that."

Speaking against the bill, Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal Dr Thérèse Coffey said: "There are many in the House, not just on the government benches, but on both sides, who will fundamentally fight his proposals, because we believe that they are the wrong thing for this country. I believe that primarily because this aspect of sexual and relationships education is the fundamental, primary domain of parents within families."

Coffey was particularly concerned about the prospect of compulsory sex education for five- and six-year-olds and says that the bill’s "one-size-fits-all" approach was against current government policy.

Labour leadership candidate Diane Abbott is among the MPs backing the bill.