AN MP's bid to give householders more right to protect themselves against burglars sparked a political row yesterday.

Anne McIntosh, Tory MP for the Vale of York, said her backbench Bill would end the scandal of intruders enjoying more legal rights than the people whose homes they illegally entered.

Only householders who used "grossly disproportionate force" would face prosecution. At present, people can use only "reasonable force" in defence of themselves and their homes.

As well as tilting the balance in favour of the victim, not the criminal, the Bill would give the same protection to shopkeepers and owners of other commercial premises.

Ms McIntosh said her Bill was prompted by the distress she encountered on the doorstep during the May General Election campaign, particularly in the village of Carthorpe where there had been a rash of burglaries.

But a Home Office minister insisted the proposed legislation was "just showing off" and signalled the Government would block it.

And Norman Brennan, of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "Householders are already protected through common and civil law to protect themselves.

"Unless they commit a blatant murder they are not likely to be charged."

At a Westminster Press conference, Ms McIntosh said: "A burglar can sue if the force used against him is grossly disproportionate, so why not give the exact same protection to householders?

"My Bill will clarify the law, restore the balance between the victim, the property owner and the intruder.

"Innocent people will know that defence of their property will not put them at risk of criminal charges."

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary and Tory leadership candidate, said: "At a time when just three out of every 100 burglaries results in a conviction, people need to be able to feel that they can protect their lives and property."

Miss McIntosh stressed that her Public Protection Bill was not intended to encourage vigilante action.

It would not copy the Oklahoma Law in the US, which frees householders from the threat of prosecution whatever action they take.

Norfolk farmer Tony Martin, who was jailed for chasing a trespasser and shooting him in the back, would not have been protected.

But Ms McIntosh said: "Obviously something which is grossly disproportionate, as clearly the Tony Martin case was, would still be illegal."

However, Fiona MacTaggart, a home office minister, dismissed the campaign as unnecessary, adding: "This law is, I'm afraid, just showing off.

"A homeowner or anyone else who is attacked by a criminal has the right to use reasonable force to protect themselves or their property."

The Bill could even put homeowners at greater risk, as burglars were more likely to be armed, Ms MacTaggart added.

Two previous bids to change the law failed even though Mr Blair has said he understood householders' concern about defending their homes.