MP welcomes Malala’s Nobel Peace Prize

Malala, 15, was shot by gunmen in north west Pakistan in October 2012 in retaliation for her work campaigning for girls’ right to education.

Mr Wood said: “This is not just a wonderful achievement and tribute to Malala but for the cause that put her in harm’s way in the first place.

“It is a welcome boost for people, especially women, in Pakistan and elsewhere who are campaigning for basic human rights that we often take for granted.”

Earlier this year Mr Wood nominated Malala for the prize.

Parliamentarians are among those who can make nominations to the Nobel committee.

A national petition calling for Malala to be awarded the peace prize attracted tens of thousands of signatures in the UK alone.

Mr Wood said: “A number of my constituents and others encouraged me to nominate Malala for the honour. They, like me, were enormously impressed by this young woman’s courage.

“Malala was shot as a direct result of her stand on the importance of accessible education for all, particularly for girls. She has said that she knew in so doing that her life was in real danger but that the principle was one from which she could not retreat.”