Plans to ban conversion therapy awaiting sign off

Government plans to ban so-called conversion therapy are now awaiting final sign off from the Prime Minister.

A draft bill was presented to Rishi Sunak earlier this week, to allow its exact wording to be scrutinised before the Equalities Office are permitted to proceed.

The legislation, particularly its exact wording, has been the subject of extensive, controversial debate since Theresa May’s administration committed to the ban in 2018.

Since January, the government has stated that the bill would be published ‘imminently’.

Once the Prime Minister signs off on the bill, it will be scrutinised by a special committee of MPs and potentially given further amendments before it passes through Parliament.

It has also been reported that a ‘consent clause’ has been inserted in the bill. This would mean that conversion therapy could still be legal on the grounds that an individual willingly volunteers.

This means that the bill would only ban coerced conversion therapy and practices such as intensive prayer would still be permissible.

Campaigners for a complete ban on all conversion therapy practices say that most individuals who receive the therapy volunteer themselves due to pressure, and suggest that an inclusion of the consent clause falls short.