Women's genital surgery used for virginity testing to be banned: 'This can't continue in modern Britain'

Parliament has voted to ban a cosmetic surgery called hymenoplasty, which attempts to recreate a woman's hymen, across the UK.

Known as virginity testing, the procedure seeks to reconstruct or repair the hymen is advocated in some cultures, which claim that the appearance of the thin membrane which partially covers the entrance to the vagina can be used to determine a woman's virginity.

The cosmetic surgery was available in clinics and can cost up to £3,000, but will now be criminalised in the UK.

North West Durham Conservative MP Richard Holden's has campaigned to outlaw the practice, drafting the Virginity Testing (Prohibition) Bill.

Speaking to GB News Political Correspondent Tom Harwood, Mr Holden MP reacted to the news that virginity testing has become illegal after an amendment to the health and care bill : "I'm just so glad that now the government taken on board what we want to do and is making the change now."

"We tabled some amendments [to the Health and Care bill) and they basically accepted them on their own."

"It will mean that some of these practices, that have no place in Britain and should never have had any place in Britain, are gonna be banned."

Richard Holden MP thanked campaigners and government ministers "for listening to us".

When asked about the take up of hymenoplasty by "certain minority communities within the UK", Richard Holden MP told Tom Harwood: "I don't sign up to any of this cultural relativism stuff and i think if you're British then you deserve to be treated the same whatever your background."

"Campaigner groups behind this included women from generally minority communities who didn't want to see this practice continue in modern Britain."

The campaign to criminalise hymenoplasty has been "aligned to the big campaign that you've seen against female genital mutilation" said Mr Holden MP.

"I think that in modern Britain, whatever your background wherever you're from, if you're a British citizen then you deserve the same rights and support and and that's exactly what we're trying to deliver with the ban on virginity testing and hymenoplasty."

The Conservative politician highlighted that "the campaign for women 's rights isn't over" and that he sought to fight against issues such as virginity testing despite any judgement that it is "too difficult" to discuss.

Tory MP Richard Holden said: "I think if you're British, you have certain rights and one of them is not to be abused in this way."