Guido understands that the conversion therapy ban has finally been killed off. The government committed to a draft bill for pre-legislative scrutiny last January, though now it will not be put forward a Joint Committee, cutting it off at the first stage. Banning conversion therapy for gay and trans people has been kicked down the road since 2018, and now Rishi has let it die…
Like most things, it’s an issue that polarises the Tories, and it seems that Sunak doesn’t want the backlash from the Tory right if he were to go ahead with the ban. MPs raised their concerns with the bill in Autumn, worried that it could lead teachers and parents facing criminal sanctions if they advise children against changing their gender. Guido hears Sunak met with Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch over Easter to tell her the bill has been killed, the government hoping the matter will quietly go away. The right will be pleased, though those on the left not so much…
Reform MP Danny Kruger welcomed adult film star Bonnie Blue’s support for the party, adding:
“I’m not going to be judgemental about people who want to vote Reform. We want all the support we can get – quite like Bonnie Blue.”