Westminster under fire over equality
Critics have accused the UK Government of driving equality backwards after an embarrassing double U-turn over its position on a ban on conversion therapy.
The Government was forced to row back amid fierce criticism from Tory MPS and LGBT organisations over the decision to ditch a planned ban on the practice that campaigners state is “abuse”.
Sources later said it would be included in May’s Queen’s Speech, but would cover just “gay conversion, not trans”, prompting a fresh backlash.
The Snp/green coalition in Holyrood has committed to a ban on conversion therapy should the UK Government not go ahead with its plans and included the pledge in their manifestos.
The backlash followed the leak of a Downing Street briefing paper seen by ITV News, which said “the PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation” to outlaw the practice.
A UK Government spokesman had confirmed they were looking instead at ways of preventing it through existing law and “other non-legislative measures”.
However, within hours of the announcement, a senior Government source was quoted as saying legislation would be included in the Queen’s Speech in May.
The Prime Minister was said to have “changed his mind” after seeing the reaction to the earlier announcement, with the legislation to cover “only gay conversion therapy, not trans”.
The “U-turn on the U-turn” came just a day after equalities minister Mike Freer had assured MPS the Government was “wholly committed” to legislation.
However, the briefing paper said neither he nor foreign secretary
Liz Truss, who is also equalities minister, had been told of the decision not to go ahead, and that Mr Freer could now resign.
“While Liz is not ideologically committed to the legislation, she is likely to be concerned about owning the new position, having personally committed to delivering the Bill,” it said.
Scottish Green equalities spokesperson Maggie Chapman said the Tories were the “antithesis of equality” that cannot be hidden by “flip-flopping
from a disgraced Prime Minister”.
She said: “The fact the Prime Minister, in his bumbling, explicitly excluded trans people from any crackdown on conversion practices is an absolute disgrace when trans people are even more likely to experience such abuse from their own family than other LGBTQI+ people.
“In Scotland, luckily, we have cross-party support for a full ban on traumatising and degrading conversion practices, and with Greens in government
we will get it done.” LGBT charities in Scotland also attacked the double U-turn by the UK Government, with the Equality Network labelling it “appalling” and stating “trans people are not safe under this UK Government”.
On Twitter, it added: “What a shambles! This is appalling and confirms that the UK Government cares nothing for trans people, and is continuing to drive LGBT equality backwards.”