Conversion therapy will be banned under a new law to be announced in the King’s Speech.
Sir Keir Starmer will push ahead with a ban at the first opportunity by including the proposals in Labour’s legislative agenda for its first year in office, to be set out on Wednesday.
The move comes despite fears that outlawing the practice, which attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, would risk criminalising parents who try to help children who think they are trans.
The campaign group Sex Matters has urged the Prime Minister to resist calls for “speedy action” on the issue and warned any legal changes must be approached “with the utmost caution”.
Labour pledged a full, “trans-inclusive” ban on conversion therapy in its manifesto, despite concerns that such a move could stifle legitimate conversations between parents and gender-questioning children.
During the election campaign, Nick Thomas-Symonds, now a minister in the Treasury, suggested the party could press ahead with the proposals in its first 100 days if it won power, saying he could not see “any undue reason for delay”.
On Sunday, Labour’s LGBT+ branch said it would be writing to Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, calling for the ban to be included in the King’s Speech on Wednesday.
The plans are now expected to feature in the party’s first legislative agenda, which is set to include around 35 bills in total.
Labour has opted to act quickly on conversiontherapy despite Wes Streeting taking a cautious approach to puberty blockers, which earned him praise from gender-critical campaigners.
The Health Secretary has said he will stop children from accessing the drugs for good, subject to a legal hearing, by renewing a ban rushed through in the final days of Rishi Sunak’s premiership.
He said he would “always put the safety of children first”, stressing his commitment to “evidence-led care”. It has sparked a backlash from within the party, with several Labour MPs hitting back on social media.
On Monday, Fiona McAnena, the director of campaigns at Sex Matters, warned Labour must avoid rushing into a ban on conversion therapy, or risk causing “immense harm”.
“By keeping the ban on private prescriptions of puberty blockers, the Government is rejecting the false ‘culture war’ narrative and prioritising the health and wellbeing of gender-distressed children,” she said.
“The Government also needs to avoid rushing into a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’ for gender identity. Unless it gets this right, it risks doing immense harm.”
In a letter to the Prime Minister last week, signed by Maya Forstater, the chief executive of Sex Matters, as well as prominent gender-critical campaigners Sarah Vine, Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock, the group put forward five key tests that “must be satisfied” before the Government moves ahead with a ban.
These included assessing whether there is any evidence of abuses that “cannot be prosecuted under existing legislation”, and ensuring “normal professional standards of therapy” and “family life” are not criminalised by new laws.
Compatible with other human rights
The campaigners also urged Sir Keir to make sure new legislation was consistent with “full implementation” of the recommendations of the Cass Review, that it is compatible with other human rights, including freedom of speech, and that it will “make life better for gay, gender-questioning and trans-identifying people”.
Helen Joyce, the group’s director of advocacy, said: “It is vital that the new Government takes the time to think through the knock-on impacts of any legislation in this complex and sensitive area. If it rushes, it risks catastrophic harm to the vulnerable children and young people it is seeking to protect.
“Already, ethical therapists are afraid to offer open-ended, evidence-based support to gender-questioning young people for fear of being maliciously reported to their regulatory bodies for practising ‘conversion therapy’.
“Teachers have made referrals to social services when loving parents do not rush to affirm a troubled child’s adoption of a trans identity. It is essential that any new criminal offence does not create a further chilling effect.”
The Conservatives had vowed to ban conversion therapy when they were in power, but the move was repeatedly stalled over fears it could criminalise parents who questioned their children’s wish to transition.
In the end, Mr Sunak excluded the commitment from the 2024 Tory manifesto, which declared that “existing criminal law” already protected against potential harms.
But Labour pressed on with its own proposals to outlaw the practice, pledging to “deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices while protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity”.
Last year, Anneliese Dodds, the minister now leading on the legislation alongside Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, said there would be “no loopholes” in the new law.
Mims Davies, the Tories’ shadow women and equalities minister, said: “We can all agree that so-called conversion therapy is abhorrent.
“There are already a number of laws offering proper protection when it comes to this complex issue.
“Labour should make sure any new legislation is properly considered and allow Parliament the time for a full and frank discussion.”