London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch urged to quit over LGBT+ stance

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch urged to quit over LGBT+ stance

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch should "consider her position", a former member of the government's LGBT+ advisory panel has said.

Jayne Ozanne quit the panel, along with two other advisers, claiming delays in banning conversion therapy.

She told the BBC Ms Badenoch did not understand the LGBT+ community and should stand aside for someone who "had more heart for the work".

The government vowed to produce a plan to "end" conversion therapy "shortly".

Campaigners want legislation banning the controversial practice, which aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity.

Downing Street said it was considering "both legislative and non-legislative options" to "bring an end to" it.

But, asked if that meant it could end up with measures short of a ban, a spokesman refused to go further.

In July last year, the prime minister said the practice was "absolutely abhorrent" and said plans to ban it would be brought forward.

In a debate in Parliament on Monday, Ms Badenoch said conversion therapy had "no place in a civilised society", but added that "robust" laws were already in place to deal with the most troubling examples, involving violence and sexual assault.

She said the government did not "intend to stop those who wish to seek spiritual counselling as they explore their sexual orientation."

But she added: "There will also be cases where a line is crossed, where someone is actively seeking to change another's sexual orientation."

"The government will be exercising great care when considering what constitutes conversion therapy, what does not and therefore how the government should intervene," Ms Badenoch said.

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch has promised to take action

Ms Ozanne told the BBC she thought it had been an "appalling speech" and that she was "increasingly concerned about what seems to be anti-LGBT rhetoric" from the government.

She said she did not believe that Ms Badenoch and Liz Truss - who is also an equalities minister - "had the best interests of the LGBTQ community" in their minds, adding: "I don't think they understand us."

"I do think there are others more suited to this role who have more time to engage, and more heart for the work", she said.

A government spokesperson said: "Earlier this week the minister set out the government's desire to end conversion therapy, making it clear that the practice has no place in a civilised society. We are working to bring forward plans to do so shortly."


An awkward issue for Boris Johnson


There have been rumblings for a while about a growing unease among some panel members which are now playing out in a very public way.

The advisory group was first set up under Theresa May but hasn't met for some time - I'm told at least six months.

And now we've heard claims that, even when it did meet, panellists didn't necessarily feel listened to.

If the group does appear increasingly defunct (and we'll have to see what happens) it may be seen, by some, as symbolic of a fading commitment to LGBT+ equality under this administration.

Ministers would reject that and, during a debate on Monday, Kemi Badenoch said the government had a "proud record" of championing equal opportunity.

But it was her response overall that seems to have sparked these resignations.

Among concerns was her refusal to commit to a legislative "ban" on so-called conversion therapy, promising instead only to "end" the practice.

The equalities minister described the legal landscape as "complex". But it's an awkward one for Boris Johnson who did, last summer, use the word "ban" during a TV interview.

When she resigned from her advisory role on Monday, Jayne Ozanne accused ministers of creating a "hostile environment" for LGBT+ people.

Two others who then also quit the panel, James Morton, and Ellen Murray, said they also had concerns about the government's approach to conversion therapy and trans rights.

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer said the government "has a blind" spot in the issue.

"The PM needs to address what is obviously a problem in his government," he said at his party's local election campaign launch.

Asked if he would ban conversion therapy if he were prime minister, Sir Keir replied: "Yes, absolutely."

The LGBT Advisory Council was set up in 2019, with the term of current panel members set to end on 31 March.


Kemi Badenoch and Liz Truss are accused of not understanding the LGBTQ issues by former government adviser Jayne Ozanne


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×