ON January 20, Caroline Lucas MP, the co-leader of the Green Party, made another attempt to get Personal, Social and Health Education compulsory in state funded schools.

The MP has been presenting this Bill to Parliament since 2014 following an Ofsted report which said that sex education was inadequate in 40 per cent of schools.

In 2015, the Government said that it was “actively” considering options to improve the provision after an Education Select Committee report pointed out the issues. Cross-party support and calls from parents and teachers were ignored and so Caroline Lucas presents a Bill every year to help protect children from exploitation, bullying and discrimination.

This year the Bill tabled prior to Lucas’ Bill was the Merchant Sipping (Homosexual Conduct) Bill.

This Bill was uncontroversial and had widespread support but Tory MPs spoke for hours to prevent Lucas’ Bill from getting a fair hearing.

Those Tory MPs are now, no doubt, patting each other on the back for blocking this Bill. What are they so afraid of that they would waste so much valuable House of Commons time? More importantly, is this what we are paying MPs almost £75,000 a year for?

Prime Minister’s Question Time is a joke – school children are better behaved. If anything should have been learnt from the EU referendum and Trump’s victory it is that politics needs to change and be more in touch with the people.

If last Friday is anything to go by the Tories are not listening.

Philip Knowles, chair, Richmondshire Liberal Democrats