LABOUR pressed the government to criminalise paying for sex in any location, in a bid to reduce demand for prostitution and sex trafficking, in a parliamentary debate today.

Leading the discussion, Sarah Champion argued that paying for sex is a form of violence against women, with pop-up brothels pushed by prostitution advertising websites making it as “easy as ordering a pizza to go.”

The former shadow secretary for women and equalities said the laws should be changed and brought in line with legislation in Northern Ireland so that the act of paying for sex is illegal everywhere, as opposed to only in public places.

Ms Champion said: “Men are paying to sexually exploit vulnerable women and girls that they have ‘shopped’ for online.

“To reduce demand for prostitution and sex trafficking, the law has to send a clear message that it is never acceptable to exploit someone by paying them for sex.”

Women’s rights campaigners have called for Britain to implement what is called the Nordic model, which criminalises sex buyers while decriminalising prostituted women and funding support services.

Those laws are in place in Northern Ireland, as well as Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Canada, Iceland and France.

Writing before the debate on the Labour List website, Ms Champion said that “we need to change how we think about prostitution.

“It’s time to join the dots and recognise the clear links between child abuse, coercive control, trafficking, modern slavery and prostitution.

“To those who argue that ‘sex workers’ should be given the same rights and protections as any workers, I say that prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls.

“When a person, almost always a man, pays for sex they are using their financial power to exploit the seller, usually women and girls. Let there be no doubt: paying someone to perform sex acts on you is abuse.”

Ms Champion also said that “no woman should be forced to sell access to their body so that they can put food on the table.

“We should tackle demand by criminalising paying for sex, and we should also be supporting vulnerable women and girls to get access to the skills, jobs, housing, benefits and support they need to survive and flourish.”

However, protesters associated with the English Collective of Prostitutes gathered outside Parliament, saying they had few options and criminalising sex buyers would put them in danger.