Row erupts after tampon tax money used to fund Life charity

MPs and campaign groups have criticised funding raised from the tampon tax after it came to light that a £250,000 portion of the money was granted to anti-abortion group Life.

MPs and campaign groups said it was wrong that Life received one of the largest amounts from the government fund that was raised through a five per cent VAT on tampons and sanitary towels.

The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) cited that the latest £12 million of funding benefited 70 UK charities.

The news comes after the government pledged to spend the proceeds from the controversial tax on women's charities after hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition calling for them to be exempted from tax altogether.

The latest grants also included £200,000 for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to support women who are stalked, £262,614 for Stepping Stones, Luton, for women facing domestic and sexual abuse, and £354,617 to support the group One Parent Families, which works across Scotland.

However the funding donated to the pro-Life charity drew fierce criticism from MPs and campaigners,who have called for the money's allocation to be reviewed.

Sophie Walker, leader of the Women's Equality Party, said: "We are very disappointed to see the allocation of such significant funds to this one charity while many others struggle, particularly those supporting BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) women and disabled women - who experience some of the highest rates of violence against them and yet are consistently at the bottom of the list for funding."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Life countered: “At Life we see women who are in genuine crisis because of pressures to end their pregnancy coming from partners, parents, employers, and society.

"We are there to empower those women with the support they need to continue with their pregnancy and to equip them with the skills to help them overcome their personal challenges.”