King’s Speech 2023: Government shelves ‘conversion therapy’ ban yet again

It’s been confirmed that a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ in the UK has been dropped once more.

It’s the latest disappointment in the ongoing saga with the Conservative government appearing to constantly flip-flop on the issue.

On Tuesday (7 November) King Charles laid out the government’s legislative plan for the next year. It was the first King’s Speech in over 70 years,

It was reported over the weekend that a ban on ‘conversion therapy’ would not be included, but today that was officially confirmed.

Reacting to the news, Stonewall’s Robbie de Santos labeled the UK government’s “failure to deliver a ban on conversion practices after five years of promises” as an “act of frightful negligence.”

He added that it has “given the green light for the abuse against LGBTQ+ people to continue unchecked.”

The Stonewall’s Director of External Affairs also said “Rather than getting mired in a cynical cultural war, the UK Government should be making decisions based on what the evidence and expertise said. England and Wales’ 1.5 million LGBTQ+ people, and their families, deserve better.”

A ban on the debunked and outdated practice was first promised in 2018 by then Prime Minister, Theresa May. The ban then faced numerous delays until it was dropped by Boris Johnson during his time as Prime Minister.

However, he swiftly picked it up after a backlash before it faced yet further delays. Under Rishi Sunak’s premiership, the ban was reportedly sat in his inbox awaiting sign-off. That was until September when it was first reported the ban was being dropped again.

Then, in October, it was reportedly set to be included in the King’s Speech before being dropped again.

Earlier this month celebrities, including Russell Tovey and Rylan publicly called on the government to follow through with the long-promised ‘conversion therapy’ ban.