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		</div><p>A Labour MP in England will be given a dressing down by the party’s chief whip for telling campaigners protesting against LGBT teaching at a Birmingham primary school “you’re right”.</p>
<p>Roger Godsiff, MP for the city’s Hall Green constituency which is home to Anderton Park Primary School, also told protesters they had a “just cause”, as he criticised the headteacher.</p>
<p>The UK&#8217;s Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner reported the “discriminatory and irresponsible” comments to chief whip Nick Brown.</p>
<p>A Labour Party spokesman said: “The Labour Party has long supported and campaigned for LGBT inclusive education in schools.</p>
<p>“There is not only a moral imperative, there is also a legal requirement and schools must comply with the Equalities Act. There is no justifiable reason to stop the teaching of these issues.</p>
<p>“Roger Godsiff will be spoken to by the chief whip and reminded of his responsibilities as an MP.”</p>
<p>This might be the personal views of Mr Roger Godsiff but they do not represent the Labour Party</p>
<p>The LGBT Labour group has called for veteran MP Mr Godsiff to lose the Labour whip.</p>
<p>Weeks of megaphone-led protests at the Birmingham school saw the council successfully apply for a High Court interim injunction, which banned demos outside the gates for the first time on Friday.</p>
<p>Demonstrators object to the school’s use of particular relationship education materials, claiming the teaching is “over-emphasising a gay ethos”.</p>
<p>Protesters have repeatedly referenced the use of two books; one about two male penguins who raise an egg, and another about a boy who wears a dress.</p>
<figure id="attachment_133553" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-133553" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-133553" src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/50B858F5-9AEC-47CB-8E70-1CD892FF2DC0.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="600" data-wp-pid="133553" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-133553" class="wp-caption-text">Roger Godsiff has come under fire from some within his own party over his comments</figcaption></figure>
<p>The school’s headteacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson has called the demonstrations “toxic and nasty”, and said she has received threats since they started.</p>
<p>The police were also called in three weeks ago, after counter-demonstrators were egged.</p>
<p>Mr Godsiff first waded into the row last month, saying he understood some parents’ concerns about how “age-appropriate” elements of the LGBT teaching had been for children aged four and five.</p>
<p>Ms Hewitt-Clarkson responded by saying the Equality Act was a “mark in the sand” and all public servants including Mr Godsiff have a responsibility to “promote, understand and aspire” to it.</p>
<p>In his latest comments, appearing in a video widely circulated on social media, Mr Godsiff said: “I believe in telling it as I see it.”</p>
<p>Flanked by the main organiser of the protests, Shakeel Afsar, the MP then said: “If I had the opportunity of rolling the clock back I would do exactly the same thing again.</p>
<p>“Because I think you have a just cause and I regret the fact that it hasn’t been reciprocated by the headteacher.”</p>
<figure id="attachment_133554" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-133554" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="size-full wp-image-133554" src="https://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/C60D6908-E09C-4A9C-AD24-5530F18707BD.jpeg" alt="" width="600" height="846" data-wp-pid="133554" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-133554" class="wp-caption-text">The main organiser of the protests, Shakeel Afsar</figcaption></figure>
<p>Mr Godsiff then asked demonstrators to “consider calling the protest off” as he said they have made their point, but he added it would be their choice whether to do so.</p>
<p>He then said: “I will continue to try and fight your corner because you’re right.</p>
<p>“Nothing more, nothing less. You’re right.</p>
<p>“I will continue to try and work to bring a resolution to this dispute but also to ensure that the school teaches the Equality Act in the same way it is being taught at all the other primary schools – where there isn’t a row.”</p>
<p>Ms Rayner said: “This might be the personal views of Mr Roger Godsiff but they do not represent the Labour Party and are discriminatory and irresponsible.”</p>
<p>At its annual general meeting on Saturday, the LGBT Labour group voted to condemn Mr Godsiff’s remarks and called for the Labour whip to be removed.</p>
<p>“No Labour MP should be pandering to the bigotry we have seen outside the school gates in Birmingham,” the group said on Twitter.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today our members voted unanimously to condemn, unreservedly and unequivocally, Roger Godsiff MP actions and calls for the Labour whip to be removed. </p>
<p>No Labour MP should be pandering to the bigotry we have seen outside the school gates in Birmingham.</p>
<p> <a href="https://t.co/fCzrEgNOQx">https://t.co/fCzrEgNOQx</a></p>
<p>&mdash; LGBT+ Labour (@LGBTLabour) <a href="https://twitter.com/LGBTLabour/status/1137367603406626816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Britain&#8217;s Education Secretary Damian Hinds has previously called for the “unacceptable” demonstrations to end.</p>
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