A controversial Tory MP who was slammed by feminists when he called for an 'international men's day' faces an election battle with a leading women's equality campaigner.

Philip Davies has also hit out at 'feminist zealots' who 'want women to have their cake and eat it' and has tried to talk out laws designed to tackle violence against women.

The arch anti-feminist is being challenged for his seat of Shipley by Sophie Walker, the leader of the Women's Equality Party.

Women's Equality party leader Sophie Walker, pictured last year when she stood to be London Mayor, is challenging Tory MP and arch anti feminist Philip Davies in the General Election.

She branded Mr Davies 'self-indulgent' and said locals in the Yorkshire seat are sick of him using his privileged status to have a go at women.

She told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme that residents 'want their seat back'.

She said: 'They want a local MP that will act in the best interests of their constituents instead of using that privilege to create a national platform - a national anti-women - platform which consists of self-indulgent, parliamentary theatrics, which actually damages not just the prospects of women and men in Shipley, but women right across the UK.'

She said locals are 'really cross' at Mr Davies for trying to talk out the ratification of the Istanbul Convention – which enshrines in law a commitment to trying to end violence against women.

She said: 'I think Philip has hugely underestimated how they feel to have an MP who has taken time to attempt to talk down a Bill on ending violence against women and girls….and somebody who has spent constituency time writing to the Equality and Human Rights Commission asking is it really so offensive for people to black up their faces?

'This is somebody who, I think, really has no idea how he has offended the people of his constituency.'

But Mr Davies hit back at his critic, insisting that he was only speaking out against the law because it did not cover men who are also victims of violence.

The MP for Shipley has sparked anger among women's equality campaigners by demanding an international men's day and repeatedly criticising 'militant' feminists

He said: 'It seems to me to be bizarre that two speeches (during which) I actually argued that women should be treated equally before the law, appears to have got the ire of the Women's Equality Party.

'You would have thought that they would be full square behind me in arguing that women and men should be treated the same on these issues.'

He added: 'My point is surely all these laws should be gender neutral?

'It doesn't matter if the victim is a man or a woman, it doesn't matter whether the perpetrator is a man or a woman, everybody should be treated the same.

'Surely that's the whole point of gender equality? That everybody should be treated the same, irrespective of their gender.'

He has previously accused 'militant feminists' of stirring up problems between the sexes and the 'politically correct males who sometimes pander to it'.

And he has repeatedly called for an international men's day, saying this is only fair as there is an international women's day – even managing to get a debate on the topic in the House of Commons chamber.