The Bishop of Bradford today spoke out against lowering the age of consent for gay sex as the Commons prepared to take it to the vote tonight.

Parliament is deciding whether to lower the legal age limit for homosexual sex from 18 to 16 to bring it in line with the age of consent for heterosexuals.

But the Right Reverend David Smith, who sits among senior bishops in the House of Lords, said he opposed the move.

He said he agreed with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, who has said it would send the "wrong messages" about the way young people should behave.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Basil Hume, has also reiterated his opposition to lowering the age of consent.

Mr Smith was today reported as saying: "The big question for me is over the comparative maturity of boys at the age of 16. My desire is to offer to provide protection for them from undue pressure until they are of an age where they can make their own mind up."

Supporters of the change include the Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend Peter Selby, who said objections from the Church would send out the wrong signal that would encourage other forms of discrimination against gay people.

Gay-rights campaigners were predicting an overwhelming victory in tonight's vote.

But a fresh row was brewing over moves by some MPs to make it an offence for adults in charge of youngsters under 18 to have sex with them.

Supporters of the new amendment, which was expected to be debated in the Commons tonight, argue that it would offer a safeguard to protect youngsters for predatory adults - whether heterosexual or homosexual. But Labour MP Ann Keen - who tabled the original amendment to the Crime and Disorder Bill to lower the age of consent for gays - warned against rushing into a "complicated area''.

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