Kemi Badenoch has “no interest in supporting LGBT+ people” or promoting tolerance more widely, a government minister has said, after the Conservatives dropped support for a planned law to ban so-called “conversion therapy”.
The comments by Bridget Phillipson, the equalities minister, come after the Tories removed their previous backing for a law targeting abusive practices that aim to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Badenoch’s party say this is because of concerns about the scope of the bill, particularly the way it deals with gender identity.
The draft conversion practices bill, which was published in June and is now open for consultation, sets out potential jail sentences of up to five years for attempts to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity, which are abusive and cause serious harm.
Asked about the bill last week, Badenoch said it would “mean that parents start getting arrested for parenting their children”, agreeing with a question by a journalist who said this could happen if parents refuse to let their child identify as a cat.
Government officials argue that this is not possible, given that the bill sets a high threshold for an offence, involving both abuse and serious harm as well as an attempt to change the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
As equalities minister under previous Conservative governments, Badenoch supported the idea of a legal ban on conversion therapy, saying in 2021 that she wanted to give people “the freedom to live their life as they see fit without fear or intimidation”.
Phillipson said: “This government is clear: we should live in a society that is tolerant, and that allows people to be their true selves without living in fear. That is the modern Britain I know.
“For almost a decade, there has been political consensus and there has been international consensus that abusing someone to try and change their sexuality should be illegal.
“Until now, that consensus has included Kemi Badenoch and much of the Conservative frontbench, who we now see pledged their support loudly and clearly.
“In chasing Reform into the gutter, Badenoch’s Conservatives have shown their true colours: no interest in supporting LGBT+ people, no interest in calling out abuse of LGBT+ people, and no interest in a tolerant, modern Britain.”
Many of the Conservative objections to the bill were set out in a report by the Policy Exchange thinktank last week, including the idea that protections in the bill for people with non-binary identities could end up being so broad as to include those who are “catgender”, meaning they identify as cats.
Calling the bill an attack on people who do not share a “narrow set of beliefs about gender identity”, the report also argues that conversion practices are comparatively rare, and that any offences arsing from those practices are already covered by existing laws.
A Conservative spokesperson said: “No one can accuse Kemi Badenoch of abandoning LGBT people. Years ago, against civil servants’ advice, she met Keira Bell, a young lesbian who had been prescribed puberty blockers and testosterone and later underwent a double mastectomy, treatment she came to regret.
“Labour’s conversion practices bill risks criminalising the honest, exploratory conversations that young people like Keira should have before they are led towards life-changing surgery.
“Proper protections for young LGBT people means ensuring they receive thoughtful support and clinical advice without pressure to reach a particular conclusion. That is why we are concerned about this bill and its implications for young people.”
