A BURNLEY-BORN MP has accused glamour model Jodie Marsh of bullying him after he called for her to be banned from schools.

Phil Willis, who once had trials for Burnley FC and went to the town's grammar school, had slated a decision by children's charity Beatbullying to appoint her as the face of a new campaign.

Part of her work will involve talking to children in schools about her years of being bullied when she was younger.

The MP, who now represents Harrogate and is a former education spokesman for the Lib Dems, had tabled a question in Parliament asking for Jodie to be banned from schools.

He claims comments Jodie made about former housemates in the recent Celebrity Big Brother series were tantamount to bullying.

His question asked: "Will the Secretary of State for Education take steps to deny Jodie Marsh access to schools for which her department is responsible?"

Schools minister Jacqui Smith replied: "Jodie Marsh does not represent the DfES in any way.

"Decisions about giving people access to pupils are a matter for governing bodies."

His comments prompted a 3,000-word reply from Jodie on the same website Mr Willis had seen the comments about Big Brother rivals.

In it she said: "I want to know why he's wasting public money (that's MY money and YOUR money) on getting up to speak about something he hasn't even done any research on.

"His wages are paid by our taxes. And I pay a hell of a lot of tax.

"Secondly, why is he wasting not only our money, but the Home Secretary's time?!

"Here is another MP trying to make a name for himself by starting a public war with me.

"Has anybody heard of Phillip Willis?! No.... didn't think so.

"This man knows that if he starts a public war with an already-famous person, he can suddenly be in all the papers and magazines."

She went on: "Kids being bullied look to me because they know that I have been there and that I survived it.

"I am a successful young woman; I have overcome many things in life.

"If you ask any child or teenager who they would rather take advice from: me, Jodie Marsh, young celeb who made her bullying she suffered public from the minute she got famous, or a stuffy 64 year old Liberal Democrat MP who no one has heard of: who do you think they're going to choose?"

Mr Willis, a former headteacher whose daughter is a model, said today: "I just think we are descending really to the lowest common denominator when we are actually putting people on a pedestal like Jodie Marsh to send into our schools.

"I think we could find better role models.

"She has proved my point, because she is now bullying me."