Pride Month

Mims Davies Excerpts

Monday 23rd June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mims Davies (East Grinstead and Uckfield) (Con)]

I thank the many hon. Members in the Chamber for their swift and heartfelt contributions; everybody contributed brilliantly. I also wish everyone a very happy Pride Month, including my constituents in East Grinstead, Uckfield and the villages.

The ethos of the Conservatives is exactly about meaningful change and putting the individual at the centre of policymaking. It is the Conservative party that is about freedom to be who you are. We are here to campaign for you and to support you, for a better future for you and everyone. As we have heard this evening, it is about respect, love and care for all that matters.

I have quoted before—this has stuck with me—the words of my friend and former colleague Elliot Colburn. In a previous debate, he said:

“LGBT+ people have always existed; we did not just pop out of the ground in the 1960s and 1970s and start marching through the streets of London and other cities.”—[Official Report, 7 March 2024; Vol. 746, c. 393WH.]

His and Jed’s wedding is back in my diary. They have much to do to top what was a great engagement night.

The changes that we have heard about across the globe, including in Thailand and India, are absolutely welcome. It is just as vital that we have righted the wrongs done to our service personnel. On Saturday, I will be in East Grinstead for an Armed Forces Day event with constituents and thinking of those who have told and shared with me their terrible, abhorrent experiences in the forces, like some of those bravely retold this evening. I agree with the hon. Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin) about the fantastic contribution made by Fighting with Pride.

We have heard about families coming in all shapes and sizes and how important that is. In 2022, the Conservative Government rightly and vitally removed the barriers to IVF for lesbian couples, as highlighted by my hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer). He also talked about the importance of family life for all couples. It is vital to recognise that parents and families come in different shapes and forms, including single parents. I have always loved to highlight that single parents can do this job.

The hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tristan Osborne) talked about the importance of local Pride campaigns. That point was echoed across the Chamber—I could not keep up—about campaigns in York, Basildon and Southend, and a winter Pride event where it sounds like there would be far too many clothes! I very much enjoyed the geography lesson on where to go.

It was also important to reflect on politicians, what we do and how we have made a difference. The Minister of State reminded us that there is always more to do and that we should take nothing for granted.

[Tom Gordon]

We have had a lovely, light-hearted debate for the most part. Does the hon. Lady agree that leaders of political parties have power through their words? Would she push for her party in particular to ensure that, when it comes to LGBT rights, we consider the humanity that we are talking about and do not whip up hate?

[Mims Davies]

I think that hon. Members heard from the Conservative Front Bench a young man from Anglesey—my right hon. Friend the Member for Daventry (Stuart Andrew)—speaking very much about what the challenges were for him living in an isolated, rural area, just as we heard from the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Llinos Medi). It is right that we should put safety, dignity and the freedom to live your life at the heart of everything we do. My right hon. Friend was right that we are all leaders in our own ways. That is why I am so proud that we Conservatives set the ambitious and absolutely right goal of ending all new HIV cases by 2030. My right hon. Friend the Member for Daventry put that challenge to the Front-Bench team for this Parliament. Perhaps if the Minister’s party had not been quite so successful at the election, we would have even more of my gay and lesbian colleagues left on my Benches to keep championing that cause.

[Rachel Taylor]

It is unfortunate that there are not more Conservative Members here this evening taking part in this debate. That speaks volumes. I welcome the hon. Lady’s warm words and the warm words of her colleague in his opening remarks, but those words will sound hollow unless they start challenging their leader to do what is right for LGBT people up and down this country.

[Mims Davies]

I think the same goes for all parties. Obviously, MPs’ diaries have different challenges and commitments. I am delighted that my right hon. Friend the Member for Daventry made it—he was stuck on a train for most of this evening. He mentioned that we do not want Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland to fall behind when it comes to striving for no new cases of HIV by 2030 in all parts of the United Kingdom.

I am delighted to be deejaying at the LGBT Tories event at the Conservative party conference. As we have heard, the conferences can come alive, apparently. The Deputy Speaker earlier pointed out he had not recently been to a Labour one. Maybe he will come to my DJ night. I will be following the guest turn from my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns), and hoping that some of my colleagues, such as Chris Clarkson, formerly of this parish, will be there. I also want to pay tribute to Luke Robert Black, who got his MBE in December 2024 for his work with LGBT Conservatives. As we heard tonight, it is 50 years since both Labour and the Conservatives started those really important groups.

[Oliver Ryan]

There has been quite a nice cross-party feeling to the debate tonight, and that has been encouraging. There has also been some mention of trailblazers. I realise this is probably a little bit embarrassing for those on our Front Bench, but the Minister who opened the debate, my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant), has been through quite a lot and written quite extensively about the role of LGBT people in public life, about the role of Parliament and about his own role as a Minister and an MP. Will the shadow Minister join me in praising him as one of those trailblazers in this place?

[Mims Davies]

I am always happy to praise the hon. Gentleman. The last time we had a chat he called me a very rude woman, so I have some making up to do—I hope that is exactly what he is pleased about. Of course, it is really important to have trailblazers, and as we have heard, being an ally is absolutely vital. I was going to mention the hon. Member for Burnley (Oliver Ryan) showcasing just how much that matters.

I must also mention my former colleague, Maria Caulfield, now CBE. Her passion and commitment to better HIV treatment and her focus on tackling the stigma around HIV and mental health were really important. I also want to mention the hon. Member for South Derbyshire (Samantha Niblett), who spoke up about being openly bisexual and proud of it. That will help others who watch this debate in relation to being out and being who they are. I too have daughters who are not as diverse as I was hoping for, but we live in hope. It is me that is the challenge, not them.

This debate shows exactly why we need Pride Month and why we need to make it count. We need the humour and humanity. Pride Month emphasises reflection on all the contributions, both historically and now, that LGBT+ individuals and communities make towards creating a better world, and we as politicians in this House can continue to be part of this story and help all LGBT people to thrive, not just in their sexuality but in every part of their life—their community, their career and whatever they want life to look like.

I thank all Members for their contributions and hope that we can work together actively and positively across the Chamber to continue to make positive changes for LGBT people. Of course, as we reflect on Pride and its theme of activism and social change, we must continue to challenge stigma, including views in my own party, and prejudice. We need to be clear that all political parties are here for you no matter who you are, where you live and who you love, and that you should never feel unsafe or worried about who you are. We will always work together to strive for dignity, inclusion and compassion. After all, love is love.