Sophie Walker, leader of the Women's Equality Party is challenging Philip Davies in the general election. She has accused Davies of a "track record of misogyny", including attempting to block domestic violence laws.

The former journalist, who also stood for London Mayor, said she represented a "voice for all women" if elected to the West Yorkshire seat of Shipley. The Women's Equality Party are running on a manifesto of equal pay and equal representation in parliament.

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Walker told the Observer: "Philip Davies basically is a sexist misogynist who puts his own ego ahead of his constituents. His anti-equality agenda in Westminster threatens the rights and freedoms not just of women but also people with disabilities, Bame (black, Asian, and minority ethnic) and LGBT+ communities.

"I think that Shipley deserves an MP who will prioritise representing them and the issues that are important to their constituency, rather than using parliament as a stage to play out attention-seeking performances."

Conservative MP Davies has denied these accusations. "I have consistently asked Sophie Walker to quote just one thing I have ever said which has asked for a woman to be treated less favourably than a man, and she hasn't been able to find even one quote from the 12 years I have spent in parliament.

"I would very much welcome Ms Walker parachuting herself into Shipley as a candidate with her extreme politically correct agenda of positive discrimination and quotas, and am very happy to let the good people of the Shipley constituency decide who they want to represent them."

Davies won the safe Tory seat of Shipley with a majority of around 9,624 votes (19%) in the last UK general election and has represented the West Yorkshire constituency since 2005. He was a firm supporter of Britain leaving the EU.

At the International Conference on Men's Issues, organised by the Justice for Men and Boys party (J4MB), Davies is quoted as saying that "feminist zealots really do want women to have their cake and eat it".

In February, Davies was accused of trying to filibuster a parliamentary bill forcing the UK government to sign up to the international Istanbul Convention on preventing domestic violence. He spoke for 91 minutes although the bill was eventually passed by 138 votes to 1. Davies was the only MP at the meeting to vote against the bill. He said the proposals were "discriminatory" against men.

Since December 2016, Davies has been a member of parliament's Women and Equalities Committee.