Corbyn call to decriminalise prostitution angers his women MPs

JEREMY Corbyn has come under fire from female MPs after backing the decriminalisation of prostitution.

The Labour leader said he was in favour of treating ‘the sex industry’ in a ‘more civilised way’ and suggested the issue could be approached ‘differently’.

‘I am in favour of decriminalising the sex industry,’ he told students at Goldsmiths University this week.

‘I want to be [in] a society where we don’t automatically criminalise people.

‘Let’s do things a bit differently and in a bit more [of a] civilised way.’ He added that this was his personal opinion rather than party policy.

But his remarks were criticised by Harriet Harman, who was interim Labour leader after last year’s general election. She said on Twitter: ‘Prostitution is exploitation and abuse not work.’

Labour MP Jess Phillips was even more outspoken. She said: ‘Man says we should decriminalise a known violence against women. Why did it have to be this man?’

In the mainland UK, paying for sex is not against the law, but many activities linked to it – such as brothel-keeping and soliciting in a public place – are banned.

In Northern Ireland, however, the act of paying for sex has been illegal since last year.

The Home Office has told the Home Affairs committee, which is looking at prostitution: ‘Recent developments in Northern Ireland provide an opportunity to observe the impact of such a change.’