Transgender people do not have sufficient access to basic healthcare, a senior Tory MP has said, accusing the government of "mishandling" its approach to trans issues.

Maria Miller, who chairs the Women and Equalities select committee, said ministers should focus more on improving service provision, not just reforming the legal recognition system.

The former Cabinet minister said the government has failed to fully implement the recommendations made by her committee on transgender equality three years ago.

The MPs’ report said the NHS is “letting down” trans people and too often has a “discriminatory approach”.

They described “serious deficiencies in the quality and capacity of NHS Gender Identity Services” and said waiting times for surgery were “completely unacceptable”.

In an interview with the Press Association, Mrs Miller said: "Many trans people simply don't have access to the basic healthcare that the rest of us take for granted - things like cervical smears are often things that trans men are not able to access.”

The government’s announcement of the Gender Recognition Act, which was only one of 33 recommendations made by MPs, has “eclipsed” efforts to provide healthcare to trans people.

Focusing on legislation alone was "wrongheaded", Mrs Miller said, arguing for instead for a greater focus on the provision of services.