Gay conversion therapy should be made illegal in LGBT action plan, Labour tells Theresa May

Labour has demanded Theresa May ban the “cruel and inhumane” practice of gay conversion therapy as the government prepares to publish its major LGBT+ action plan.

The party’s call comes as the prime minister is set to launch her proposals later this week, alongside the world’s largest survey of LGBT+ people, detailing the responses of 108,000 individuals in the UK.

Labour claims the controversial practice – sometimes referred to as “gay cure” – which aims to change or alter an individual’s sexual orientation has “spread fear and hatred” in society and calls for legislation from ministers to make it illegal.

Several organisations, including NHS England, the British Psychological Society, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists published a “memorandum of understanding” in 2014 describing conversion therapy as “unethical and potentially harmful”.

Despite campaigns and attempts by backbench MPs to ban the practice there are currently no laws against the practice and the LGBT+ charity, Stonewall, suggests there is evidence that individuals continue to experience the therapies.

The organisation’s “Unhealthy Attitudes” report, published in 2015, claimed that one in 10 health and social care staff have witnessed colleagues express the belief that sexual orientation can be “cured”.

In 2016, Malta became the first European country to outlaw conversion therapy after the country’s parliament voted unanimously for a bill which detailed fines and jail sentences for any individual found guilty of trying to “change, repress or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression”.

Labour’s Dawn Butler, the shadow equalities minister, said: “We must finally see an end to cruel and inhumane conversion therapies, which have been allowed to spread fear and hatred in our society for far too long.”

Ahead of the publication of the LGBT+ action plan, the party also urges ministers to reinstate cuts to the administrative equalities budget, which has almost halved since 2010.

According to a written ministerial statement last month, the Government Equalities Office received £9.5m in 2010-11 and this fell to £4.6m in 2017-18. In the current financial year, £5.3m has been earmarked by the Treasury for the equalities office.

Its programme budget, however, rose from £6.2m in 2010-11 to £9.6m in 2017-18 and an additional £10m was allocated to the budget for the centenary and returners project to spend between 2017-20. The former is to celebrate 100 years of voting rights for women while the latter is to support people returning to work after long breaks.

Ms Butler added: “The Conservatives have slashed funding for equalities in half since 2010. How can Theresa May claim to be tackling burning injustices, while cutting the funding to achieve this?

“The government’s action plan must address all forms of discrimination and inequality facing LGBT+ people. This will require resources, and a reversal of their own policies.

“Theresa May must stop dragging her feet on updating the Gender Recognition Act. It’s a disgrace that the Government’s consultation hasn’t started a year after it was promised.

Speaking in May, the prime minister said the action plan will present “concrete steps” to improve the lives of LGBT+ people in Britain, adding: “I want to help make us a country where no one feels the need to hide who they are or who they love.”