UK government accused of “frightful negligence” after ‘conversion therapy’ ban excluded from King’s Speech
Five years since the UK government first promised to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’, campaigners fear that no legislation will ever materialise under Rishi Sunak’s leadership after there was no mention of it in the King’s Speech.
The annual speech, which this year took place on 7 November, is an opportunity for the government to lay out its plans for the upcoming year, as well as the laws it intends to pass in order to achieve its goals.
There was outrage, however, when King Charles III did not acknowledge ‘conversion therapy’ in any capacity. Given that the next session of Parliament is likely to be the last before the upcoming general election, which must take place no later than January 2025, there is virtually no possibility of a ban being implemented under the current government – though there is still a chance of non-legislative action being introduced to block some of the practices. “The government has chosen to prioritise appeasing perpetrators” Jayne Ozanne, who chairs the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition and resigned from the government’s LGBT advisory panel two years ago after accusing it of creating a hostile environment for the community, told GAY TIMES that “we are now witnessing the serious rollback on rights and protections that many have feared and which caused me to resign as a Government Adviser in 2021.” “To break your flagship promise to a community that has seen a significant rise in hate crime is a total moral failure,” she continued. “To do so after five years of posturing, with minimal engagement with victims of ‘conversion therapy’, shows just how callously the government treats LGBT+ lives. READ MORE: PM accused of “moral failing” for delay in banning ‘conversion therapy’ “The government has chosen to prioritise appeasing perpetrators, condemning many to untold abuse that is now sanctioned by the State. “The Prime Minister’s failure to act will be remembered for years to come, it will take generations for LGBT+ people to trust his
