Labour voters overwhelmingly oppose Govt’s conversion practices ban

Public support for the Government’s conversion practices ban evaporates once people realise that ordinary parents and pastors could be criminalised, a new poll of more than 4,000 respondents has revealed.

Conducted on behalf of The Christian Institute, the poll found that even among those initially supportive of a ban on “abusive conversion practices”, support collapsed when respondents were presented with real-world scenarios of conduct that could be criminalised. Across all respondents, support for a ban fell from 51% to just 3%. Among Labour voters it plummeted from 57% to just 4%.

More than three-quarters said they would oppose the legislation if even one of 15 scenarios could result in a criminal charge. These included:

• a father advising his 16-year-old son against sexual intercourse;
• a parent refusing to allow their child to join a Pride march;
• a parent refusing to affirm a child’s preferred sex or pronouns;
• a mother refusing consent for her child to have puberty blockers, testosterone or a mastectomy;
• a father praying with his son to stop watching pornography;
• a minister advising a man not to leave his wife for another man;
• a same-sex attracted person advocating celibacy; and
• someone who regrets transgender surgery discouraging others from following the same path.

Unrest on Labour benches

Opposition to the proposals is not confined to voters. News broke at the weekend that at least a dozen Labour MPs have told party whips they are unhappy with the plans.

Among them is Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who warned that the draft Bill would have a chilling effect on parents giving loving advice to their children. She said: “I would urge the Prime Minister to step in and scrap this bill.”

Lord Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour movement, also told The Telegraph: “Putting parents at risk of prosecution for trying to protect their children is something no Labour government should even consider.”

Strong support for religious freedom

Believed to be the largest survey of its kind, the poll also showed strong support for religious freedom. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) said people should be free to express non-coercive religious views without fear of prosecution, compared with just one in ten who disagreed. More than half of respondents also recognised the important role religious groups, such as churches or charities, play in providing advice and counsel.

When asked whether they would still support the legislation if it could criminalise a minister advising a man not to leave his wife for another man, fewer than 40% said ‘yes’ – equivalent to less than one in five of all respondents.

Support fell to a similar level when respondents were asked about a father praying with his son to stop watching pornography. Just 36% said they would still back a ban in this scenario – equivalent to 18% of all respondents.

Public sides with parents

Parental rights emerged as another clear red line for respondents. 68% believe parents should have the freedom to decide how best to raise their children, while 74% reject the idea that the Government knows better than parents how to raise children.

The poll also exposed just how little public awareness there has been up to this point. Just 4% said they had a detailed understanding of the draft Bill, while more than two-thirds had not even heard of it. But with the issue now making headlines, it is only a matter of time before the Bill becomes a talking point in living rooms across the country.