West Dorset MP Chris Loder has condemned the news that examination board OCR has removed works from Dorset writer Thomas Hardy from its syllabus.

The move is to make the English Literature syllabus more diverse and changes will come in from September.

Mr Loder said: "The recent attempts to erase some of the greatest literary icons of our history is of grave concern, not just in terms of educating our children, but also for maintaining Dorset's unique cultural heritage that attracts people from all across the world through the literature of Thomas Hardy."

The writer, who died in Dorchester in 1928, is most famous for his novels such as Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Far From the Madding Crowd and Jude the Obscure.

Mr Loder added: "While Hardy appears to have been side-lined in the name of diversity, it is important to note that Thomas Hardy himself had to climb a mountain from being the son of a rural builder who could not afford a university education, to eventually becoming an Order of Merit who now lies in Westminster Abbey, buried amongst kings and the finest poets in history.

"He confronted social taboos gave strong voices and stories to marginalised groups, and he challenged the conditions of the poorest in society through his work, often incurring the wrath of the establishment. He did at least as much, if not more, for social justice in this country during his time, than many of the 'progressive' initiatives today."

The OCR stated: "Our anthology for GCSE English Literature students will feature many poets that have never been on a GCSE syllabus before and represent diverse voices, from living poets of British-Somali, British-Guyanese and Ukrainian heritage, to one of the first black women in the 19th century America to publish a novel.

"Of the 15 poets whose work has been added to GCSE English Literature, 14 are poets of colour. Six are black women, one is of South Asian heritage. Our new poets also include disabled and LGBTQ+ voices."