MPs must not criminalise sex work through the policing bill, warn campaigners

It is not presently illegal for individuals to buy or sell sex, writes Maya Oppenheim

Sex workers and campaigners hold vigil outside Scottish Parliament on 25 November in Edinburgh (Getty Images)

The government must not implement proposals to criminalise sex work through the controversial policing bill, campaign groups have warned.

Dame Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull, has called for amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which would criminalise buying sex and the websites where sex workers advertise.

An open letter, seen by The Independent, signed by leading organisations such as Amnesty International, Liberty, Stonewall and Sisters Uncut, warned evidence shows such measures would actually worsen violence against women.