ROMAN Catholic MP Greg Pope has welcomed moves to cut the VAT on condoms in a bid to reduce sexually transmitted diseases and high pregnancy rates.

The Hyndburn Labour back bencher is one of three East Lancashire MPs supporting a campaign asking Chancellor Gordon Brown to make the move in his budget next month.

National chemists chain Superdrug and more than 60 MPs want to see a current 17.5 per cent VAT on condoms reduced to five per cent.

More than 20,000 Superdrug customers have signed the Sex Tax petition in its stores and 69 MPs including Mr Pope, Rossendale and Darwen MP and leading Methodist Janet Anderson and Pendle's Gordon Prentice have signed a Commons Motion backing the change.

Mr Pope, who has always considered himself to be an MP who happens to be a Roman Catholic rather than a Roman Catholic who is an MP, is delighted at the move, which appears at odds with the traditional Catholic view of contraception.

He said: "This is excellent. I am glad the government is listening. It is not just a public health issue it is also about trying to stop teenage pregnancies. East Lancashire has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Britain and if cutting the price of condoms through the tax system tackles this that is also good news.

"Whether people of different faiths wish to use contraception is a matter for them but anything that can be done to cut sexually transmitted diseases and teenage and other unwanted pregnancies is welcome."