Government brings forward conversion therapy ban which will criminalise parents, therapists and religious leaders for speaking with gender-confused children

Max Thompson, Campaigns Officer

30 June 2026

When a Prime Minister announces his or her departure, we enter the danger zone. This is because outgoing leaders often seek to pass poorly drafted legislation in order to secure a legacy – just think of Theresa May's enshrining into law of our commitment to Net Zero by 2050, a debate that lasted just eighty-eight minutes.

Last week, the outgoing Starmer Government announced its draft bill to ban conversion therapy practices. Like most "bans", this sounds benign – and as Lord Young of Acton, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, has said: "How could anyone not want to ban giving electric shocks to gay kids?"

Well, this is not what the ban is about. It is already – rightly – illegal in the UK to use coercive practices, or "conversion therapy", to try to turn someone straight. Given this fact, such practices are not prevalent in the UK.

The bill that has been brought forward is so broadly drawn that it could criminalise the well-intentioned conversations of parents, therapists and medical professionals with gender-confused children – even religious leaders could face prosecution for sharing their faith’s teachings on sex and gender. What the Government appears to be trying to do is ban "converting" children who believe they are trans into being "cisgendered", a move that has come about as a result of pressure placed on successive governments by well-funded pro-trans lobby groups such as Stonewall and Mermaids.

The Government's own press release makes clear what it is trying to ban. It states that any conduct which "aims to change someone's sexual orientation or transgender identity through abusive acts that seriously harm the victim" will be punishable by up to five years in prison.

The Free Speech Union is concerned that parents could be prosecuted simply for speaking with their children, misgendering them, or attempting to talk them out of embarking on a life-changing and irreversible medical pathway. This is not a slap on the wrist but serious prison time.

In the state of Victoria, Australia – which introduced a conversion therapy ban in 2021 – the maximum penalty for attempting to "convert" someone is ten years in prison. In the UK, under this proposed legislation, those found guilty of conducting conversion practices could face an unlimited fine or a sentence of up to five years.

The Government has sought to shut down concerns that parents could be prosecuted for attempting to block their children's transition, with Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey MP saying: "This Bill does not remove anyone's rights to freedom of expression or religion or how to parent." However, there is no evidence to support that claim.

Lord Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, recounts in his latest article for The Telegraph a recent conversation he had with the mother of a transitioner. She said she is terrified that people like her could be sent to prison for refusing to go along with their child's self-diagnosis as a result of this piece of legislation.

She told Lord Young that her daughter did not speak to her for four years after she had tried to persuade her not to pursue surgery. Had this Bill been law, she fears her daughter could easily have reported her to the police.

There can be little doubt that this draft Bill will deter parents and medical professionals from having honest conversations with children who believe they were born in the wrong bodies.

Whenever governments introduce legislation to criminalise speech, they do so in the name of preventing notional harm. But this Bill will cause more harm than it prevents.

The draft bill identifies a victim of an "abusive conversation practice" as someone who has suffered "serious harm" to their "physical or mental health", or "serious alarm or distress…which has a substantial adverse effect on their usual day-to-day activities".

As the mother pointed out to Lord Young, a child who is unhappy with their parents' unwillingness to accept their new identity could report them to the police and claim that an offence has been committed under the broad terms of this legislation.

There are also significant concerns that any religious leader who shares the teachings of their faith on certain issues, such as homosexuality and gay marriage, could face prosecution. This is a direct threat to our right to free speech and to practise religion in the UK—but, as we know, this authoritarian government has had no qualms about banning dissent from radical progressive orthodoxy when it comes to sex and gender.

The chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre has said that any attempt—such as this bill – would "needlessly restrict freedom of speech and prayer".

She also told the BBC that the bill would have a "chilling impact" on therapists and religious leaders attempting to support people with questions about their sex or gender, adding: "Genuinely abusive and harmful practices are already illegal in the UK. A new ban would target prayer and consensual conversations that many people find beneficial. The counselling room and the pastor's room are places that should be free for them to explore that fully."

Andrea has also announced that she is planning to launch a legal challenge against any law seeking to ban "conversion" practices.

The Free Speech Union has launched a petition calling on Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham to drop these plans. Speech is always curtailed in the name of preventing "harm". But stopping parents from talking honestly with their children about the risks of irreversible medical procedures will cause actual, real-world harm. This is a fight that we must win.

Join over 6,000 people in signing our petition and read Lord Young of Acton's piece in The Telegraph.