The culture war over transgender rights has been tying the Labour party in knots for months, to the delight of senior Conservatives.
This week, Boris Johnson openly mocked the Leader of the Opposition on the issue, telling his MPs at a dinner: “Good evening ladies and gentleman, or as Keir Starmer would put it, people who are assigned female or male at birth.”
But on Thursday night it was the Tories who suffered their own agonies on the issue, having to U-turn twice within four hours over a long-promised ban on LGBT conversion therapy.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly promised to outlaw the practice of trying to convert people away from being gay or trans, and his wife Carrie Johnson made a speech at the last Conservative conference doubling down on the pledge.
Leaked documents reveal, however, that No 10 was preparing to overrule the Government Equalities Office (GEO) and its presiding minister Liz Truss, by announcing at the upcoming Queen’s Speech that the ban was no longer on the agenda.
The change of policy came in response to fears among some Tories that banning all conversion therapy would move the UK closer to a so-called “affirmation model” for trans people, including children, where all those experiencing gender dysphoria would be automatically helped to take further steps such as hormone treatment, rather than being offered alternative ways to resolve their issues.
But the move shocked those who had been working on the policy for two years. No one at the GEO was warned in advance and officials were left in shock when the documents appeared on ITV – not least, i understands, because they feared it would enormously undermine the UK’s credibility as it prepares to host a global LGBT rights conference later this year.
“The PM wants to do this,” a Tory source said – pointing to his public comments in support of trans rights even when other ministers have been more equivocal. “But the problem is he is surrounded by nutty evangelical advisers who think that their religious views are more important than what’s right for the country.”
Downing Street was braced for an internal backlash: the dossier warned that minister Mike Freer and LGBT envoy Nick Herbert could both quit in protest and contained ideas on how to handle the fallout, including blaming the war in Ukraine for reducing the amount of legislative time available in Parliament.
But it was fiercer than anticipated. A handful of Conservative MPs who have long supported a ban immediately contacted all colleagues they thought might be willing to lobby No 10, and 50 or 60 backbenchers are understood to have lodged complaints against the U-turn over the course of the evening.
Just four hours after the decision to abandon the ban on conversion therapy became public, it was partially reversed – not least because it was clear enough Tories were angry to defeat the Government in any future Commons vote. No 10 sources said that gay conversion would indeed be outlawed after all – but trans conversion would not.
MPs wearily noted that this is far from Mr Johnson’s first major policy U-turn. But they welcomed the speed of this one, having expected the Downing Street machine to double down until its position became finally unsustainable. Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant, a staunch supporter of the Prime Minister who also backs a conversion therapy ban, told it was “good to see the Government reacted quickly to the outrage it caused”.
The Government’s problems on the issue may not have gone away – many backbenchers are waiting to see the details of the legislation, and could yet rebel when it finally comes to the House of Commons.
