A South Essex MP has slated the Government's new religious hatred bill, calling it a "sop" to the Muslim community that lost faith in Labour after the war in Iraq.

In a powerful address at the House of Commons during a lengthy debate, Billericay MP John Baron called the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill a "bad and dangerous piece of legislation, which has the scope to limit and undermine our freedom of expression".

He called the bill "vague and ill-defined" and a "foolish knee-jerk reaction to deep-seated social problems", leading to "greater tensions in our communities".

Mr Baron said the Government's "misconception about race and religion in relation to freedom of speech" was the key problem, noting religion was a matter of choice and should not be included in legislation relating to race, which was a matter of birth.Earlier in the debate, he supported a claim by MP Ann Widdecombe, who asked about how the new law would be enacted. He felt that those accused under the law would be responsible for unintentional and unforeseen reactions to comments they made.

Rounding on the Government's war record, he said: "I can only draw the conclusion that this dangerous and unnecessary legislation is being introduced by the Government as a sop to the Muslim community for having misled the country and instigated an illegal war in Iraq.

Before urging the House to vote against the Bill he said: "Moral force is more effective than legal force and for that we need freedom of speech. By banning certain remarks we admit we are scared of them."

The Bill was passed by 303 votes to 246.