Lord StoddartDOWNTRODDEN men need their own champion to protect them from discrimination, according to Lord Stoddart of Swindon.

He called on Tony Blair to set up a new Government office to look out for the interests of the male half od the population.

The Swindon peer said as women had their own minister men should too.

He said: "It is about time that we had a minister for men, because they are being so hard done by these days."

The current minister for women is Patricia Hewitt, who is also secretary of state for trade and industry.

In the same Lords debate, concern was also raised about men suffering discrimination in divorce, child custody battles and in being allowed paternity leave from work.

His comments won backing from Lord Northbourne, who said it was discrimination by the Government to have a minister fighting for the rights of disadvantaged women, without one doing the same task on behalf of men.

But the attempts to rally the male sex under an equality banner were immediately cut down by the Government.

Speaking on behalf of the Government this week, Lord Davies of Oldham made clear the prime minister had "no plans" to set up a ministry for men.

And he said there would be no positive discrimination to help males in female-dominated sectors of society.

He said: "Of course there will be some professions that may be more attractive to one sex than the other."

But, he added: "It is not an area on which direct action is possible."