TWO Bradford MPs today met the boss of the National Media Museum to demand that she reverses a raft of controversial changes.

This week, the museum announced it was transferring its world-renowned Royal Photographic Society collection to a London museum, dropping the Bradford International Film Festival and considering a name-change to Science Museum North, as part of a new focus on technology.

MPs Judith Cummins, for Bradford South, and Imran Hussain, for Bradford East, had a frank meeting with director Jo Quinton-Tulloch and called on her to scrap all three of these planned changes.

Speaking afterwards, Mrs Cummins accused the museum of a "complete lack of transparency" over its plans.

She said: "I have huge concerns about the way in which the museum has conducted itself and the direction of travel.

"There has been a complete lack of transparency and consultation both with local MPs and the Bradford community at large.

"I remain extremely concerned that the recent announcements amount to the stealth closure of the National Media Museum as we know and love it.

"I was shocked to learn that the decision to transfer the world-renowned Royal Photographic Society collection, the abandoning of the International Film Festival and the move to rename the museum were all made over two hundred miles away in London."

She said she would now be meeting Science Museum Group boss Ian Blatchford at the end of the month to demand further answers.

Mr Hussain added: "I am deeply concerned that during the decision-making process on these changes to the National Media Museum, not only were no MPs consulted, but no Bradfordians were consulted either."

Miss Quinton-Tulloch said: "It was a useful and frank discussion about the future direction of the museum.

"It was very helpful to hear and understand some of their concerns, to restate that there is absolutely no question of the museum closing, and to have the opportunity to lay out the rationale for some of the changes and future developments that we have proposed."

Bradford West MP Naz Shah, who sent a representative to the meeting, said she was now calling on Parliament's culture select committee to investigate the matter.

She said: "I have grave concerns about the direction the museum is taking."

Meanwhile, a petition calling for the Royal Photographic Society collection to remain in Bradford has now attracted more than 21,000 signatures.

About 400,000 images and artefacts - a tenth of the museum's photography archive - are due to be handed over to the V&A in London.