King Charles III said the British government will introduce a draft bill seeking to ban abusive conversion practices as part of its legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session.
During the King’s Speech in the House of Lords on Wednesday, Charles said, “My government will bring forward a bill to speed up remediation for people living in homes with unsafe cladding [Remediation Bill] and a draft bill to ban abusive conversion practices [Draft Conversion Practices Bill].”
The King’s Speech is written by the government and delivered by the monarch during the State Opening of Parliament. It outlines the administration’s planned legislation for the upcoming session.
In an addendum to the speech, the government said the proposed measure would include transgender individuals.
“Conversion practices are abuse, and the government will deliver the manifesto commitment to bring forward a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices,” the government said.
The proposed ban would apply to England and Wales, where criminal law falls under the authority of the UK Parliament. Officials said the measure would be narrowly targeted to avoid interfering with legitimate healthcare for people exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity.
A ban on conversion therapy was first pledged under the government of then-Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018. In 2022, the administration of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson supported a ban that excluded gender identity, drawing criticism from LGBTQ advocacy groups.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party also included a conversion therapy ban in its 2024 election manifesto.
