An MP has said he was raped after a night out nearly a decade ago, as he called for an end to the stigma around being a victim of sexual assault.

Labour’s Josh Newbury said during a debate on International Men’s Day that he had been on a night out in an unfamiliar city, and woke up in his hotel room with another man after blacking out while drunk.

The MP for Cannock Chase said he had not reported the attack to police, and had felt guilty afterwards.

He wanted to stop the silence and shame faced by those who had been assaulted, he said.

“I remember going to a few bars, having a good time, but then it’s a complete blank, which is something that I’ve never experienced before or since.”

Newbury added: “What followed in the days after was constant text messages from this man, initially just asking if I was OK, but then repeatedly asking what I remembered and commenting that I was a ‘great shag’.

“Now that made me freeze, because I had no recollection of getting back to the hotel, let alone anything else, and he’d repeatedly told me how out of it I’d been, so how could I have ever consented?”

Newbury said it had taken him a long time to process what had happened and admit that he had been a victim of rape.

“I want to say clearly today, that no victim should ever feel that they have to put themselves in a hierarchy or feel any shame,” he told the Commons.

“It is the people who do this to another person who should feel shame, and I hope that we can foster an atmosphere where men have the courage to speak out about this, and seek justice, even if it is a hard road.”

“It is a rare moment to hear such a courageous speech,” said Health Secretary Wes Streeting, speaking later in the debate.

“Just through his words, he will have such an impact on so many people who he will never meet, but will nonetheless draw strength from his courage,” he added.

Shadow minister for women Mims Davies said Newbury was “hugely brave and absolutely right when he said that no victim should not be able speak out and seek justice.”

The debate took place on the 10th anniversary of International Men’s Day.

Among the issues raised by MPs included a push for prostate cancer screening, a focus on under-achievement by working-class boys in school, and a campaign to get better paternity leave for men.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line website.