Women should come forward if they feel “coerced” by Sharia councils, a Government minister said as she vowed they would never be recognised in law.

Helen Grant told MPs there was nothing to stop people using religious councils to reach agreements on a “voluntary basis”, following controversy over talks in Bradford.

The comments were in response to a debate led by Ilkley and Keighley MP Kris Hopkins, who had urged ministers to rule out any sponsoring of Sharia courts.