The government is launching a consultation on how to make coercive conversion therapies illegal in the UK.
Setting out proposals today for how they plan to crack down on “coercive and abhorrent” practices that seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity of individuals, the Government Equalities Office said: “We recognise there is a plurality of experience in this area and that there are adults who seek counselling to help them live a life that they feel is more in line with their personal beliefs.
“We do not intend to ban adults from seeking such counselling freely, but consent requirements will be robust and stringent.”
Following the six-week consultation, the Equalities Minister, Liz Truss, will then decide on whether the plans should be amended, before a bill is drawn up by next spring.
The aim is to put the bill onto the statute book by May 2022.
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A consultation on proposals to ban conversion therapy launches today.
The six-week consultation brings the public, stakeholders and Government together to develop an effective ban.
— Office for Equality and Opportunity (@oeogovuk) October 29, 2021
When a national LGBT survey was conducted in 2017, around 5% of people who responded reported having been offered conversion therapy, and a further 2% of those respondents said they had undergone it.
Ensuring physical conversion therapy acts are sentenced appropriately and introducing a new offence for so-called talking conversion therapies.
Ensuring those found guilty of conversion therapy offences have any profit they obtained from those crimes removed, and strengthening the case for individuals to be disqualified from holding a senior role in a charity where they are convicted of a conversion therapy offence.
Introducing Conversion Therapy Protection Orders to protect potential victims from undergoing the practice, including abroad – this could include removing passports of potential victims, who are at risk of being taken overseas for conversion therapy.
Exploring further measures to prevent the promotion of conversion therapy.
Speaking on the launch of the consultation, Liz Truss – Minister for Women and Equalities – said: ”There should be no place for the abhorrent practice of coercive conversion therapy in our society [so] we are publishing detailed proposals that will stop appalling conversion therapies and make sure LGBT people can live their lives free from the threat of harm or abuse.
“As we build back better from the pandemic, I want everyone to be able to love who they want and be themselves.”
She also added that the “archaic practice” has “no place in modern life.”
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The government has set out proposals for how they plan to crack down on the “coercive and abhorrent” practices / Credit: Unsplash
Jayne Ozanne – who quit the government’s LGBT advisory panel in March and has direct experience of conversion therapy – told The Guardian that she welcomed the launch of the consultation, but added that she was “deeply concerned about the loophole it creates by allowing adults to consent to these harmful and degrading practices”.
She added that the consultation document “makes little mention of the harm that religious practices are known to cause”.
Alicia Kearns – a Conservative MP who has long campaigned for a conversion therapy ban – praised the “robust proposals” but added that she remains “unconvinced that anyone can consent to such an abusive practice.”
“I will look closely at the proposed ban to ensure that victims and survivors get the protections they need and deserve,” she concluded.
Stonewall UK also took to Twitter this morning to express some concerns over the launch of the consultation, saying: “Stonewall, alongside many other organisations, activists and our supporters, has campaigned for years for a ban, and the strength of these proposals is testament to the impact we have collectively had in that time – however, there are still concerning loopholes that the UK Government must close, including on prayer and statutory support for victims.”
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We also can’t support the proposals if they allow for people to “consent” to conversion therapy. A practice that is abusive cannot be consented to. If we are to truly put this shameful practice behind us, the ban must not allow for any excuses or any exemptions.
“We also can’t support the proposals if they allow for people to “consent” to conversion therapy – a practice that is abusive cannot be consented to.
If we are to truly put this shameful practice behind us, the ban must not allow for any excuses or any exemptions.”
You can find more about the proposals via the gov.uk website here.
Featured Image – Unsplash
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Price caps and standardisations to be introduced for vet care in UK following major investigation
Emily Sergeant
Reforms to the veterinary industry to help pet owners better navigate the vet services market are set to be introduced this year.
After an independent inquiry group recently found that the current system is leaving pet owners ‘in the dark’, with a lack of information to help make informed decisions leading to weak competition and high prices, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has this week concluded its investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK.
The final report green-lights a package of measures to make the market more competitive, easier to navigate, and more responsive to pet owners’ needs.
It outlines the final remedies and recommendations, which together, will transform the market.
Remedies and recommendations in the report range from price caps and standardisations, through to upfront cost transparency.
We’ve set out major reforms to the UK’s veterinary sector now our market investigation is complete.
Our reforms will help pet owners better navigate the vet services market and will start coming into force later this year.
— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) March 24, 2026
Practices will soon be required to publish a comprehensive price list for standard services – including consultations, common procedures, diagnostics, written prescriptions and cremation options – so pet owners know up-front how much certain services are expected to cost.
They’ll also have to make it clear whether they are part of a group or an independent business, and provide a written estimate in advance for any treatment expected to cost £500 or more (including aftercare costs), plus an itemised bill.
Written prescription fees are set to be capped at £21 for the first medicine, and then £12.50 for any additional medicines.
Price caps and standardisations are set to be introduced for vet care in UK / Credit: Pxhere
There’s also set to be changes to the complaints process, as practices will now be required to follow a transparent, accessible, in-house complaints process, and engage in mediation where disputes cannot be resolved.
The CMA says an ‘unprecedented’ response from both the public and the sector has helped to shape the final report.
The next step is for the Government to respond to the report formally – with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Emma Reynolds, commenting: “We are grateful for all the work of the Competition and Markets Authority, and we will respond to the report and set out next steps for our proposed reforms in due course.
“This Government is focused on helping families save money on vet services by improving transparency and choice around pricing, so the public can make informed decisions about their pets’ care.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Police release footage of Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest by hiding under a bed
Emily Sergeant
Police have released unseen footage of a Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest and justice by hiding under a bed.
David Dale Thompson, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Crown Court last week (18 March) where he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of residential burglary at an earlier hearing.
The 43-year-old was caught early last year (15 January 2025) following proactive patrols by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) neighbourhood officers across Rusholme and Moss Side, who were in the area due to a high number of reports of burglaries in the weeks prior.
While on patrol, police spotted Thompson ‘acting suspiciously’ while riding a bike just before 5pm, and once officer subsequently followed him to a property on Boscombe Street, before calling for more officers to attend.
After gaining entry to the address, officers suspected something was wrong when they entered one of the rooms, and after lifting up the bed, they found Thompson hiding in the storage compartment attempting to evade arrest.
GMP has now released footage of the moment Thompson was caught.
Speaking following Thompson’s sentencing last week, Detective Inspector Natalie McDonald, of GMP’s Manchester Central Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “This was a fantastic example of proactive policing, which has resulted in a serial offender now behind bars.
“We know how devastating a burglary in your own home can be and this shows our commitment to tackling them head on.
“If you have any information or concerns about neighbourhood crime in your area, make sure you speak to us. In the meantime, we have officers on regular patrols in areas that need us the most.”
The Manc -
29th October 2021 
