Skip to main content
Banner image for Jonathan Lord

Jonathan Lord

Member of Parliament for Woking

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Jonathan Lord
  • News
  • Woking
  • Parliament
  • Campaign Emails
  • Advice Surgeries
  • Contact
  • Local Links

Conversion Therapy

  • Tweet

March 2021

 

Dear Constituent.

 

Thank you for writing to me about conversion therapy and the Westminster Hall debate on this matter on 8th March 2021. 

 

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this debate. However, please be assured that I followed proceedings very closely indeed, and am fully aware of the key points raised by the Members who spoke.

 

You may be interested to read the speeches made in the debate. Please see below a link to Hansard:

 

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-03-08/debates/552D6176-C4D5-47F1-A8C1-C900B58AEB7C/LGBTConversionTherapy

 

Kemi Badenoch MP, Minister for Equalities, closed the debate for the Government, and emphasised the Government’s commitment to ending the practice of conversion therapy.

 

In her remarks, however, the Minister made clear that the Government does “not intend to stop those who wish to seek spiritual counselling as they explore their sexual orientation”. Please see below an extract from the Minister’s speech:

 

“The Government have been clear that we do not intend to stop those who wish to seek spiritual counselling as they explore their sexual orientation, but there will be cases when a line is crossed, where someone is actively seeking to change another’s sexual orientation—an innate aspect of their personal identity—via coercion under the guise of spiritual support. The Government will exercise great care when considering what does and does not constitute conversion therapy, and how to intervene. Just because greater care is required, however, it does not mean that we should shy from protecting our most vulnerable from those practices.”

 

The Minister also stressed the Government will not dictate what classifies as legitimate spiritual guidance:

 

“We will continue to engage with religious organisations and groups to understand how best support to LGBT people of faith. It is not the place of Government to dictate what is legitimate spiritual guidance, but it is the Government’s place to protect all their citizens, and we will not tolerate the use of harmful coercive practices under the guise of spiritual support.”

 

I appreciate your strong feelings on this matter, and respect your views and beliefs. Please be assured that I have taken note of your concerns, and will continue to raise said concerns, where appropriate, in discussions with relevant ministerial colleagues. I, personally, would be totally against any legislation or regulation that might impinge on legitimate religious freedoms and the freedom to pray alongside those who share one’s own faith.

 

Thank you again for writing to me.

 

With best wishes.

 

Kind regards,

 

Jonathan Lord MP

Member of Parliament for Woking

 

Campaign Emails

  • Trade Bill: genocide
  • Bovine TB
  • BT
  • Tibet
  • Unexploded ordnance at sea
  • International travel
  • Conversion Therapy
  • Cladding and fire safety issues
  • Oceans
  • Misogyny
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
  • Clapham Common
  • Rape cases and convictions
  • E-scooter concerns
  • Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill
  • NHS pay (March 2021)
  • The Royal Family
  • Electric Scooters
  • The Pig Husbandry (Farrowing) Bill
  • Debt Relief Orders (DROs)
  • Saudi Arabia and Yemen
  • Environment Issues Locally and Nationally
  • Support for unpaid carers
  • Access to the EU for British athletes
  • Support for people with MND
  • Support for the terminally ill
  • Pet travel
  • Rent Debt
  • UK-EU trade deal: the fashion and textiles industry
  • Coronavirus vaccines and immunity passports
  • School Breakfast Bill
  • "Fire and rehire" concerns
  • Jagtar Singh Johal
  • UKRI Funding
  • Support for the hospitality sector
  • Napier and Penally Barracks
  • Environment Bill
  • Reopening schools
  • Coronavirus vaccine: people with learning disabilities
  • BTEC examinations
  • Trail Hunting
  • Neonicotinoids
  • Business rates
  • Visa-free work permits for artists and musicians
  • Parliamentary scrutiny of future free trade agreements
  • Trade Bill: 'Anti-genocide' amendment
  • Universal Credit
  • Woodhouse Colliery
  • Coronavirus and the early years sector
  • Food parcels and free school meals
  • Vaccinations for school staff
  • Recognising key workers
  • Coronavirus: testing of arrivals
  • Schools
  • Coronavirus vaccination programme
  • The planning system and the protection of ancient woodlands and trees
  • Use of the whip in horseracing
  • Coronavirus Vaccine Concerns
  • Alzheimer's Society Campaign
  • Pavement Parking
  • Legacy benefits
  • Public Sector Pay
  • Overseas Aid
  • Free School Meals
  • Government Spending Review: Radiotherapy
  • Safe and legal routes for refugees and asylum seekers
  • Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill
  • Finn's Law
  • First Past The Post
  • Support for charity funded research groups
  • Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill
  • GMB Union Concerns
  • Support for businesses in the hospitality sector
  • Support for businesses in the night-time industry
  • Beer duty
  • Agriculture Bill, British farming and food standards
  • Food standards and future trade deals
  • Global Wildlife Trade
  • Animal Sentience
  • Overseas Operations Bill
  • Breast cancer related treatment in the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review
  • Persecution of Christians
  • Fire Safety Bill
  • Government's Strategy on Obesity
  • Close the Loophole Campaign
  • Homelessness
  • Shukri Yahye-Abdi
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Asylum Support
  • Bovine TB
  • Coronavirus: weddings
  • NHS pay
  • Uyghur Muslims
  • Trade Bill: NC4
  • Sustainable fishing
  • Fur trade
  • Arthritis
  • Environment Bill
  • A green and fair recovery from the coronavirus outbreak
  • Coronavirus: UK international response
  • Human rights in Bahrain
  • Ethnicity pay gaps and pay gap reporting
  • TV licences for the over 75s
  • Tibet
  • Gaza
  • Hong Kong
  • Coronavirus: support for the arts
  • Immigration and Social Security Coordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill
  • Coronavirus: reflexologists
  • Coronavirus: jury trials
  • Grenfell
  • Yemen
  • Arms exports to Saudi Arabia
  • Israel and Palestine issues
  • Statutory assessments in primary schools
  • Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups
  • Brexit: transition period
  • Teaching of Black history in schools.
  • Food standards
  • Free school meal vouchers
  • Belly Mujinga
  • Black Lives Matter
  • Climate change - Three Demands Bill
  • Lockdown Issues and the Prime Minister’s Adviser
  • Child refugees and family reunion
  • NHS and the Trade Bill
  • Agriculture Bill
  • Coronavirus and the hospitality sector
  • Coronavirus: schools
  • Coronavirus: Democratic Planning
  • UK-US trade negotiations
  • No Recourse to Public Funds campaign
  • Coronavirus: veterinarians
  • Coronavirus: list of vulnerable people
  • Coronavirus: charities
  • 5G
  • EU Settlement Scheme
  • Coronavirus: Response on Emergency Legislation
  • Onshore wind
  • Childminders
  • Coronavirus: Cremations and burials
  • Windrush Generation
  • Commonwealth Armed Forces Personnel
  • Animal Welfare standards and the UK's trade policy
  • British nature
  • Online Harm
  • Trade Agreement Concerns
  • Middle East Peace Process
  • Environment Bill
  • Hearing Loss
  • Deforestation
  • Dementia
  • Clean Air
  • UK’s Future Agricultural Policy
  • Help protect the oceans
  • Climate Change
  • Asylum seekers & refugees resettlement
  • Voter ID
  • Animal Cruelty Sentencing
  • New mothers' mental health.
  • Caged farm animals
  • NHS and international trade
  • Hong Kong
  • Animal Cruelty
  • Pledge to protect our rivers
  • Live Animal Exports
  • Torture
  • Grenfell - a new housing regulator

Jonathan Lord

Footer

  • About RSS
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • About Jonathan Lord
  • Parliament
  • Woking
This website is funded by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) for the purpose of assisting Jonathan Lord MP in the performance of his Parliamentary duties.
Copyright 2021 Jonathan Lord . All rights reserved.
Powered by Bluetree