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Ministers will revive proposals aimed at preventing female genital mutilation, after a Tory MP blocked them in the Commons last week.

Tory 'dinosaur' Sir Christopher Chope objected to a Private Members’ Bill on the child protection plans as it was set to clear its first Parliamentary hurdle on Friday.

He said he shouted ‘object’ as the bill was about to be waved through without a vote, because he felt it had not been sufficiently debated.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said the bill will be brought back in Government time "very swiftly”.

Labour's shadow equalities minister Carolyn Harris blasted Sir Christopher, the MP for Christchurch, calling his objection to the FGM Bill "shocking".

(Image: PA) (Image: Cambridge News)

She said his "reputation for objecting to important bills precedes him", after he was involved in a similar controversy last year after objecting to a bill outlawing upskirting.

Ms Harris said she would only refer to him as "gentleman" and not "honourable gentleman" as is convention in the Commons, explaining: "Honourable implies principle, and the member for Christchurch displayed no such principle last Friday in this chamber.

"His objection to the FGM bill sank to new depths."

The Labour frontbencher also attacked the Government, saying: "But this bill should never have been left to be dealt with through a Private Member's Bill.

"The bill will protect countless women and girls and delay in its passage puts them at unnecessary risk.

"The Government should have introduced this long before now, as relying on a Private Member's Bill, when we know there has been many an occasions when worthy bills have been 'talked out' or objected to, was a risky strategy.

"We cannot now leave this bill on the sidelines.

"If the member has done nothing else, his antiquated and appalling behaviour last Friday has exposed the importance of this bill."

Ms Harris called on the Government to bring it back to the Commons as soon as possible, so "we can pass this vital legislation".

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer announced the Government will now revive the child protection proposals linked to preventing (FGM) by bringing it back in Government time "very swiftly".

She said it was "disappointing" that her colleague had chosen to object, as she answered an Urgent Question on the matter from Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem MP for Bath who had brought forward the legislation as a Private Member's Bill.

Other Conservative MPs agreed, including Richard Benyon who said he "echoed the dismay of all members".

He added: "Many of us are just fed up with this kind of behaviour, we want a different system where this sort of thing just doesn't happen."

But Tory MP Philip Hollobone defended Sir Christopher, saying the Government only had to make "a little change" but had instead "relied upon a private member's bill" (PMB).

He said: "It's completely inappropriate for Her Majesty's Government for this important amendment to rely upon a PMB.

"They now say they're going to allocate government time, well about time too. They should have done that in the first place."