Backlash as Tory leadership hopeful Esther McVey says parents should be able to take children out of LGBT lessons

Tory leadership candidate Esther McVey is facing a backlash within the party after she said parents should have final say on whether they withdraw children from lessons on LGBT relationships.

The former work and pensions secretary told Sky News “parents know best” as she weighed in on protests in Birmingham over the introduction of same-sex relationships education.

Her remarks prompted criticism from equality campaigners and Tory MP Justine Greening, who was the first openly gay female cabinet minister. 

It comes after fellow Tory contender Dominic Raab last night said he would not make it easier for people to change their gender.

Ms McVey said today: “I believe parents know best for their children. 

“While they’re still children – and we’re talking primary school age – then really the parents need to have the final say on what they want their children to know.”

The former cabinet minister condemned parents protesting outside schools but said: “The final say is with the parents. 

“If parents want to take their young children – primary school children – out of certain forms of sex and relationship education then that is down to them.”

Ms Greening told her colleague in a tweet: “You can’t pick and choose on human rights and equality.”

She added: “Children should understand a modern and diverse Britain they’re growing up in. 

“Matters for social mobility too – you can’t be your best if you can’t be yourself.”

Cabinet minister Amber Rudd backed Ms Greening, saying “a modern Tory Party should not just be proud of our LGBT achievements, but champion them”.

Campaign group LGBT+ Labour said in response to Ms McVey’s comments: “Tory leadership contenders are making it clear that they do not stand with the LGBT+ community by feeding the damaging narrative that teaching LGBT+ inclusive education harms children.”

While Labour MP Angela Rayner commented: “There can be no compromise with our duties under equalities legislation, and no excuses for failing LGBT young people.”

Ms McVey’s comments came amid anger over comments by Tory leadership hopefuls in the leadership campaign. 

On Wednesday, Mr Raab insisted he wanted Britain to be “tolerant and warm to the LGBT community”. 

But the former Brexit secretary said he would not make it more straightforward for trans people to change gender. 

He said: “I certainly don’t think I want to make it easier. I think you need to be very careful with people of that age.

“I want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin. But I do worry a little bit with some of this debate whether it’s in relation to vulnerable women in prisons or children in school that we don’t just take a very balanced approach.

“We need to be a society which is small L liberal, if you like, tolerant and open and warm to the LGBT community but I also worry about the vulnerability of other people.”

He added: “We need to get the balance right.”

Welsh Labour & Co-op MP Stephen Doughty told PinkNews: “The Tory leadership contest seems to be shamefully descending into a competition of who can out-right wing each other by promoting intolerance against the LGBT+ community.

“McVey ignorantly helps legitimise the myths around relationships and sex education, at the same time that Dominic Raab has targeted the trans community.

“What a terrible message to send to young people growing up LGBT+.”

Mr Raab also said he would “probably not” describe himself as a feminist, instead saying he was “a champion of equality and meritocracy”.