AMONG the myriad scandals that seem to keep exploding for the Government, the sexual harassment story continues to roll on.

I have been speaking at length to fellow female politicians, and indeed friends across other industries too, as I am sure many of you are with family and friends.

I am sorry to say I have yet to find a single female friend say they have never experienced inappropriate behaviour. #MeToo.

There are also cases of men being targeted too, many just as bad and equally devastating. And the stories show no sign of abating.

Politics, showbusiness, fashion – what these industries all have in common are large disparities of power: young hopefuls mixing with people who can make or break careers.

All too often we keep hearing the phrase ‘they did it knowing they could get away with it’. So as an MP, my focus has been, rather than just on the Westminster bubble, to think about what we need to do as a society protect those in a vulnerable position, no matter their sex nor the industry.

That is why I believe that ensuring sex and relationship education in all schools is both mandatory but also fit for purpose.

In Oxfordshire we are lucky and schools have taken it upon themselves to do this, but currently, it is only mandatory in state-maintained schools across the country.

Last year the Government introduced legislation that would both update content so it considered difficult subjects like online porn and consent, and to make it compulsory for academies and free schools too. It received cross-party support.

Since then however, they have been dragging their heels: in a wide-ranging but positive debate in the House recently, MPs from across the parties stood up and expressed their frustrations that the consultation for the new programme hadn’t begun and that it was planned to be introduced in 2019.

According to figures obtained by the BBC, last year alone, 7866 incidents of peer-on-peer serious sexual harassment among children were reported, 900 of which took place in schools. And this is before these young people even enter the workplace. Given the level of the scandal unfolding before us, we need to ensure that every child in every setting has the tools necessary to navigate an increasingly complex world. They need to know it’s ok to have boundaries and to say no.

I welcome the Government’s intention to act on this but I, like other MPs, am urging them to not hesitate. We need to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and do all we can to stamp such behaviour out, for good.