Lloyd Russell-Moyle has lambasted a Conservative MP for a “transphobic” speech in the House of Commons.

The Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown slammed Miriam Cates for a statement in Parliament, which criticised a law passed in the Scottish Parliament that allows 16-year-olds to change gender.

Ms Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, expressed concern that the new law would make it “vastly easier for a predator to get access to children”.

She also said that the law poses a safeguarding risk, as “the human brain does not end development until the age of around 25” and that the legislation is a “potential route to long-term changes to fertility, sexual function and health”.

After Ms Cates finished her speech, Mr Russell-Moyle stood up and said the speech was “probably one of the worst transphobic dog-whistle speeches I’ve heard in an awful long time”.

Pointing at Ms Cates from across the chamber, he said: “The idea of linking trans people with predators is disgusting and you should be ashamed.”

His comment was made in the midst of a debate around the Scottish Gender Recognition Bill, which has been blocked by the UK government over concerns it could have a “serious adverse impact” on existing laws in the rest of the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, described the move as a “direct attack” on devolution.

Earlier on in the debate, the MP for Brighton Kemptown had called on the government to implement reform of the system that allows people to transition gender.

He said: “The real truth of this discussion is that, almost five years ago, this government opened up a consultation for reform of the Gender Recognition Act and did sweet nothing on it.

“They opened up Pandora’s box of fear and hate and of misinformation, and then when one part of our country takes action which we all should have taken, they want to use it for a constitutional crisis.”

Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, also weighed in on the debate and said that the dispute had “been confected by the SNP in pursuit of their separatist agenda” and accused the party of “weaponising children”.

He said: “I share the concerns about the rights of biological women in single-sex spaces, but I’m concerned about the capacity of children to determine their own gender and potentially embark on life-changing physical transformations.”