Draft Conversion Practices Bill

Debate between Alex Barros-Curtis and Olivia Bailey

Thursday 25th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Olivia Bailey]

I thank the hon. Lady for her support for the draft Bill and I look forward to engaging with her further on it. It is vital that we continue to defend and protect LGBT rights in our country and around the world, where we have a proud role to play too. That is something that this Government and I are committed to doing with our equalisation of the hate crime laws and through this draft Bill.

[Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

I congratulate all the campaigners who have brought us to this moment, including my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith) and the Minister, who has really spearheaded this work in the few months that she has been in the job. She should be really proud of what she has achieved.

I have spoken to the Minister about this Bill extensively. As has been said, the community of victims has been waiting eight years for this legislation since it was first promised by a Conservative Government. People do not need fixing; they are not broken. Abuse is not and should never be permissible, so abusive conversion practices should be outlawed, and that really should not be a controversial topic.

Will the Minister tell me about the work she will do on this Bill with the devolved Administrations? It covers England and Wales, so we need to look at Scotland and Northern Ireland and consider what best practice they can follow to ensure that there are no victims. As she said, consent to abuse is not a thing and should never be a thing. We should get this law on to the statute book as quickly as possible.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Alex Barros-Curtis and Olivia Bailey

Wednesday 10th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Alex Barros-Curtis (Cardiff West) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking to ban conversion practices.

[The Minister for Equalities (Olivia Bailey)]

Conversion practices are abuse, they cause long-lasting harm, and they have no place in our society. We will bring our comprehensive, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices before the House as soon as possible.

[Olivia Bailey]

As I have just said, conversion practices are abusive and we will ban them. All LGBT people deserve to live freely and without fear, shame or discrimination. This legislation is a priority for the Government, as set out in the King’s Speech.

[Mr Barros-Curtis]

I thank the Minister for her answer. The recent BBC report that more than 250 people were subjected to electric shocks in NHS hospitals between 1965 and 1973, in an attempt to change their sexual preferences and gender identity, serves as a reminder of the urgent need for us to legislate in this area, and I am proud that the Government have committed to a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. Can she assure me that the Government will legislate as swiftly as possible, and will she meet me to discuss this further?

[Olivia Bailey]

Let me be clear: being gay or trans is not an illness that needs to be cured. The so-called treatments reported by the BBC are abhorrent, and my thoughts are with anyone who suffered. Abusive conversion practices are still happening today, and we will bring forward our draft legislation to ban them as soon as possible. I would of course be delighted to meet my hon. Friend.