Plans to outlaw conversion therapy – what to expect in 2026?

As another year of campaigning draws to a close, here’s a rundown of where plans for a ‘conversion therapy’ law stand across the UK and Ireland, and what we can expect in 2026.

England and Wales

The Westminster Government continues to stand by its manifesto pledge to publish a draft conversion practices Bill for England and Wales in this parliamentary session, which runs until May 2026.

In July, we learned that a draft Bill was on the PM’s desk awaiting sign-off, but that progress had stalled due to concerns around parental and religious freedoms – the same sticking points its predecessor faced. The Supreme Court’s ruling in April that sex in the Equality Act refers to biological sex, not self-declared gender, is also said to have stymied plans for a ‘full, trans-inclusive ban’.

In October, new Equalities Minister Olivia Bailey told a Stonewall fringe event at the Labour conference that she’s hard at work to bring forward a draft Bill. In response, 24 church leaders from across Great Britain published an open letter warning that plans for a broad ban “could criminalise mainstream, historic Christian teaching on marriage and sexual ethics, and make sharing the Gospel with some people illegal”. They also warned that it could prevent parents – Christian or not – from guiding their children on matters of sexuality and gender. More than 6,000 Christians signed in support, including over 1,300 church leaders and pastoral workers.

Scotland

The Scottish Government confirmed in its 2025-2026 Programme for Government that it will not introduce its own conversion practices Bill this side of the Holyrood election. But instead, if re-elected, the SNP plans to publish legislation in year one of the new Parliament, should a UK-wide approach not be agreed before then.

The Scottish Government’s decision to abandon its own controversial plans, and ask Westminster to legislate in the first instance, speaks to the complexities of extending the criminal law in this area. It also likely reflects the Scottish Government’s nervousness that an activist-approved ban could invite yet another legal challenge.

In October, the Scottish Government published the results of the public consultation on its – now shelved – draft Bill, a year and a half after the consultation closed. The results revealed that the majority of people are opposed to a law which could see innocent parents and Christians jailed for refusing to affirm LGBTQ+ ideology. 

Northern Ireland

The Alliance Party has quietly published the summary of its consultation on Eóin Tennyson MLA’s proposed Bill to ban ‘conversion practices’ in Northern Ireland. The document appeared online without any announcement.

From the outset, there were concerns about the consultation process. Because this is a Private Member’s Bill, the Alliance Party oversaw every stage, from drafting the questions to receiving submissions and producing the final report. Some people chose not to respond for this reason. Nevertheless, the summary shows that many respondents expressed significant concerns about the scope and implications of the Bill.

One notable omission from the report is any real engagement with the legal issues raised. Our own submission highlighted substantial human rights concerns, including legal advice showing that proposals of this kind could interfere with several European Convention rights. A detailed KC’s opinion specific to Tennyson’s Bill was also available to him during the preparation of the summary, yet there ail is very little reference to specific legal concerns.

For now, the key question is what Tennyson has done with the feedback he received. He has indicated that the proposal will be revised, and we are waiting to see what changes he has made. Once the updated draft is completed, it will fall to the Speaker of the Assembly to decide whether to allow the Bill to proceed.

Republic of Ireland

In January, the Irish Government committed in its Programme for Government to “advance legislation to ban conversion practices”. The promise to ‘advance’ rather than to ‘pass’ legislation – which was the language previously used – suggests that even after eight years of trying and failing to produce a workable Bill, the Government is no closer to publishing legislation.

Fast forward to earlier this month, the Dáil debated a non-binding motion tabled by the Irish Labour Party, calling for radical trans-healthcare across Ireland, including a trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban.

Although the motion passed, even pro-ban Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane acknowledged the risk of unintended consequences. He said: “Legislation must be drafted precisely and clearly” in order to “target abusive or ideological conversion practices while not creating unintended consequences that criminalise legitimate clinical practice or parents supporting a child through distress”.

Responding on behalf of the Government, the Minister for Health said that the Department of Children, Equality and Disability “has been carefully reviewing key policy principles… to ensure individuals are protected from harmful conversion practices, while safeguarding access to necessary and appropriate services for those seeking support”.

Thank you for standing with us again this year. It is important that in anticipation of legislation, we continue to make the case that not only is existing law already sufficient to address actual cases of abuse, but a conversion therapy law could be used by activists to bludgeon free speech and gospel freedom.