JACK Straw has rejected a call to legalise brothels.
It came from North West Euro MP Chris Davies who said that Mr Straw's move in his Criminal Justice Bill to make kerb crawling an arrestable offence was "gesture politics" and did not go far enough.
But Home Secretary Mr Straw rejected the allegation and said he simply did not agree with the Liberal Democrat that the move would be good for the public and protect the prostitute.
Blackburn MP Mr Straw said: "The Bill certainly is not gesture politics. It contains a series of solid measures to help make communities safer, including tackling kerb crawling, which is a dreadful problem in some areas.
"Legalising brothels is an old chestnut. I have no proposals to legalise brothels. I don't think it would improve things and I just don't agree with it."
The Dutch Government legalised brothels last October for its estimated 15,000 to 30,000 prostitutes.
Mr Davies said a similar law in Britain would give councils the right to issue licences, designate zones where brothels could operate and make rules on hygiene, fire safety and working conditions.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article