Doctors who give conversion therapy could be struck off

CONVERSION therapy will be banned in the UK and doctors found offering it could be struck off, ministers announce today, amid fears thousands of gay and trans people have been promised a “cure” by faith groups.

The Government has announced a consultation on how to ban the “abhorrent” practice after a survey found that thousands of people have been offered the so-called treatment.

More than £4million will be spent on a new initiative to make the UK more inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people after a survey found many people suffer daily attacks because of their sexuality.

But ministers have announced there will be a consultation on how to make it easier for people to change their gender legally, after previously promising steps would be introduced straight away.

Conversion therapy, which aims to “cure” gay or trans people was found to have been offered to more than 5,000 of the over 100,000 people who responded to a Government survey. The true figure is likely to be far higher.

Of those, around 2,000 had been offered the so-called treatment by medical professionals.

Experts believe religious and community groups are promoting and encouraging people to take up conversion therapy and doctors and nurses are carrying it out in private. The therapy is not available on the NHS.

Laura Russell, of the LGBT campaign group Stonewall, said that it was “heartbreaking” that so many people had been offered conversion therapies over their sexuality.