Suggestions that Baby P's mother could be granted a new identity and 24-hour police protection, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, has attracted complaints from MPs.

Amid claims that the 27-year-old's lawyers are preparing to invoke human rights legislation to assure her anonymity for life, there were immediate complaints at the potential bill to the public of such a move.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell insisted today there should be no consideration of the matter until she had spent many years behind bars.

A judge has warned that the three people convicted of involvement in the killing of Baby P in August last year were facing "substantial" terms in prison.

As well as the toddler's mother, her 32-year-old boyfriend and their lodger, Jason Owen, 36, will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on December 15 for causing or allowing his death.

Baby P died in a blood-splattered cot in Haringey, north London, in August last year. He had suffered more than 50 injuries despite repeated visits by the authorities.

It has been reported that the mother's lawyers were set to argue that her life would be at risk if identified after her release.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said: "There is likely to be permanent hatred towards those people who are guilty of the baby's murder and for that reason I would imagine, based on past precedent, that the authorities would consider some sort of protection or fresh identity for that person.

"One of the reasons [Moors Murderer] Myra Hindley was never released was because her safety outside jail could not be assured.

"It's a big problem, but from the public's point of view, they are not going to be very happy about a person given special treatment and lots of money spent on them when they have committed such an evil crime."

But he suggested that nothing needed to be done about the issue now.

"Hopefully it will be many, many years to come when these people are considered for release, if they ever are - some people would say they should never be released," he said.

"Any suggestion that we should already be planning for release or re-accommodation and expenditure is not something that anybody should be considering at this time."

Another Conservative MP, Philip Davies, told the Mail: "I personally find it rather offensive that the taxpayer may end up picking up a huge bill to protect this woman's human rights, given the complete disregard she showed for the human rights of her baby."

The Ministry of Justice said any suggestion of anonymity for the mother was "pure speculation". The matter would be decided by the courts at a later time.

A spokesman said: "She's not even been sentenced yet and something like this usually comes towards the end of a person's sentence. It's not something that is imminent."

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