Tory MP Philip Davies, who opposes LGBT equality, re-elected to equalities committee

Conservative MP Philip Davies, who opposes equality for women and LGBT people, has been re-elected to Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee.

Mr Davies was this week re-elected by MPs to serve on the Parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinising the government’s equalities work, made the demand in the Commons.

The MP for Shipley is a strong opponent of LGBT rights, voting against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in 2007 and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013.

He has previously complained that same-sex marriage law discriminates against straight people, and has branded inclusive sex education “tyranny”.

But he was comfortably re-elected to his spot on the committee.

All members of the committee have strong records on LGBT equality – with the exception of Mr Davies.

Former Culture Secretary Maria Miller, who championed equal marriage, was re-elected as committee chair.

Newly-elected MPs Rosie Duffield (Labour) Kirstene Hair (Conservative) and Jared O’Mara (Labour) filled vacant spots on the committee, while Gavin Shuker (Conservative), Angela Crawley (SNP), Tulip Siddiq (Labour) and Jess Phillips (Labour) were all re-elected.

Mr Davies is an outspoken critic of the women’s rights movement, and previously faced questions over his ties to the so-called ‘Justice for Men and Boys party’ – which issues awards for “lying feminist of the month”, and affirms on its website that “feminists are whiny, gormless, toxic liars”.

Mr Davies used the floor of the House of Commons to attack a secondary school in 2009, after it held an educational LGBT History Month production of ‘Romeo and Julian’.