I’m furious that an attempt to make upskirting a specific criminal offence in England and Wales has been blocked by one Conservative MP.

The bill was expected to pass after the Justice Minister Lucy Frazer confirmed the government would back it.

But Parliament rules mean it only requires one MP to shout “object” to block a bill’s progress and that’s exactly what Tory MP Christopher Chope decided to do.

The campaign for the law against upskirting – where photos are secretly taken under a skirt – was started by victim Gina Martin. Her bill would have made upskirting a criminal offence in line with other voyeurism offences – meaning offenders could face a maximum of two years in prison.

Upskirting is a depraved violation of privacy – it’s intolerable that one MP can derail a much needed and universally supported change in the law.

This bill should have and would have protected women and girls across England and Wales from feeling degraded and distressed by this disgusting invasion of privacy.

The bill will come back at a later hearing of private members’ bills – the next scheduled date is July 6. Lets hope the Tories get their house in order before then.