An MP has urged ministers to rethink their special education needs (SEND) reforms amid claims they are ignoring “vast evidence of routine law breaking” by local authorities.

Lib Dem Dorking and Horley MP Chris Coghlan made the comments as he joined other SEND campaigners in launching a new database for parents to record their experiences of reporting councils to the police for misconduct in public office.

The Measure What Matters push comes at the start of SEND awareness week with a major national campaign on the issue set to be launched on Wednesday.

It also comes as school standards minister is set to address a major SEND campaign launch in parliament on the same day.

The SEND Matters Coalition includes backing from MPs from five political parties - Labour, the Tories, Lib Dems, Reform and Greens - as well as support from comedian Rory Bremner and TV environmentalist Chris Packham.

The events follow warnings to Labour MPs - including ministers Wes Streeting and Jake Richards - that a large number of voters related to children with SEND needs could decide whether Andy Burnham’s party survives the next election.

The government has postponed SEND reforms into next year with question marks over extra funding of around £4bn which was supposed to be allocated to it.

Mr Coghlan told : “In February I gave the government 200 cases related to avoidable child suicide as part of over 1,200 family testimonies of misconduct on SEND by 134 local authorities. The government failed to act. So now I am collecting testimonies from families who have reported their local authorities to the police.”

Mr Coghlan also appeared on Nick Ferrari’s LBC show to discuss the tragic case of 13-year-old Eivie White who took her own life three years ago after she was failed by Kent County Council and was highlighted last week by and by the MP in PMQs.

Discussing the government’s planned reforms, he said: “The government does recognise that we have a terrible issue with SEND in the country right now. The problem with the government SEND reforms is that, as part of those reforms, they are actually reducing children's legal protections. Children like Eivie would be even more vulnerable.

“The government is taking at face value from local authorities that they treat these families fairly, where there is vast evidence of sadly routine law breaking by these local authorities not getting these children the support that is their legal right.

“So if the government reduces family protections even further, reduces their right to take children to court system to tribunal, sadly it will result in more deaths.”

A survey of 1,265 people from families with children suffering from SEND mental health issues showed that 53 per cent would prioritise that in how they vote at a general election.

Mr Streeting has a majority of 528 votes and 1,555 pupils with Education Health and Care Plans (ECHPs). Jake Richards, a justice minister, won his Rother Valley seat by 998 votes and has 1,447 children who currently hold EHCPs.

Mr Coghlan pointed out that there are 10 million voters who are in that position around the UK.

He said: “Labour needs to wake up to the fact that this could be incredibly politically damaging for them if they keep continuing to ignore the issue.”

The Measure What Matters campaign is encouraging families to report councils and council officers to the police where there is misconduct in public office.

It said: “For over two years, families have described to us the serious, persistent and often pervasive maladministration, and what they believe is misconduct, that they have experienced in trying to secure support for their child’s special educational needs. In some instances the impact has been devastating and irrevocable. At worst, it has led to serious harm.”

They add: “If you have reported, or tried to report, misconduct in public office by a council officer in relation to a child’s special educational needs, tell us. Even if it was refused, never recorded, or closed.”

The Department for Education said: “We have been working closely with parents and professionals to get these reforms right, and the education secretary has been clear that we’re completely committed to the timelines we set out in the schools white paper.

“We inherited a system under immense strain, but our reforms will change that. We will end the postcode lottery felt by so many — widening access to specialists for every school, rolling out training for every teacher, and investing £3.7bn to create 60,000 specialist places across the country.

“Legal duties on schools to identify and support children’s needs are getting stronger, not weaker, and we are retaining EHCPs for children who need them.”

Speaking on LBC, education secretary Lucy Powell admitted: “The system isn’t working for young people, families or parents.”