London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

Battle still on to protect trans people under conversion ban, say Tory MPs

Battle still on to protect trans people under conversion ban, say Tory MPs

About 50 MPs could force government to back move to extend protections as Johnson criticised for ‘wrong signals’
About 50 Tory MPs could force the government to toughen up its ban on conversion practices by backing a move to extend the protections to transgender people, the Guardian has been told.

Campaigners fighting for Downing Street to commit to outlawing the controversial exercise said “the battle is definitely still on” and remained confident that No 10 would either be swayed or defeated in the remaining months.

Insiders said No 10 was warned on Monday that they “might still lose” if the prime minister, Boris Johnson, chose to stick to his decision to water down the long-promised ban on so-called conversion “therapy”, by excluding people from it who are questioning their gender.

The Government Equalities Office was also said to have estimated that if the protections for trans people were stripped out of the bill, about 50 Conservative MPs could vote to add it back in.

Johnson reneged on a commitment for the conversion practices ban to cover all those who are LGBT last week, but partially backtracked in the face of a huge backlash from some of his own MPs.

A government spokesperson blamed “the complexity of issues and need for further careful thought” on the decision to leave out transgender conversion practices while “separate work” is carried out.

The answer was given short shrift by those who have pushed for a ban on coercive or torturous practices designed to stop someone from reconsidering their gender or sexuality, given they said intricate work on the issue had been underway for years.

They also scoffed at the suggestion apparently made by No 10 earlier this week that a royal commission would be set up to examine the issue, suggesting this would delay dealing with it indefinitely.

Crispin Blunt, a Conservative MP and chair of the parliamentary group on global LGBTQ+ rights, said it was “disappointing that our prime minister has yet to fully appreciate the sensitivities and complexities around gender identity as well as sexuality”.

Another Tory backbencher, Elliot Colburn, said he was “extremely concerned” at the “incredibly poorly judged” decision to exclude protecting transgender people from the ban on conversion practices.

“Excluding anyone from the scope of the ban sends the wrong signals,” he said. “Many other countries and territories have managed to pass these bans, we need to do the same. Fuelling the fire and giving into some kind of culture war will benefit no one.”

Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International UK said: “A ban on conversion therapy that excludes trans and non-binary people is not a real ban on conversion therapy. Human rights cannot be applied selectively.”

But some Conservatives are pleased Johnson has been swayed to take a softer approach on the issue, believing that conversion practices are already prohibited by existing laws or would be too hard to ban that they would end up unfairly targeting faith leaders or medical professionals.

Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, said on Wednesday that Johnson’s position was correct, and added: “We should be able to discuss these sensitive issues with mutual tolerance.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×