Those who carry out conversion practices — commonly known as conversion therapy — could be jailed for up to five years under landmark new plans laid before Parliament on Thursday. The draft Conversion Practices Bill criminalises 'abusive acts' aiming to change someone's sexual orientation or transgender identity, and applies to England and Wales.
The Cabinet Office said the Bill will ensure LGBT+ people are 'protected from physical and psychological abuse to change who they are'. The government argues that existing domestic abuse or coercive control laws do not address 'the unique nature of abusive conversion practices'. Two new criminal offences will be created: one for carrying out conversion practices 'which cause serious harm, alarm or distress', and another for encouraging or assisting such practices to take place outside England and Wales. Those found guilty could face both an unlimited fine and prison sentences of up to five years. New civil powers known as Conversion Practice Protection Orders will 'pre-emptively protect those deemed to be at risk of abuse', according to the government.
“Conversion practices ban plan: up to 5 years jail for abusive acts to change sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The plans — first promised in 2018 under Theresa May's Conservative government but repeatedly delayed and dropped from the King's Speech under Rishi Sunak — finally fulfil Labour's 2024 manifesto pledge to deliver 'a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, while protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity'. Minister for Equalities Olivia Bailey said: 'Conversion practices are driven by the false belief that being LGBT+ is shameful and can be forcibly changed. Legal loopholes have left LGBT+ people vulnerable to these harmful acts, which is why we must legislate.'
It's difficult to know exactly how widespread conversion practices are. About 5% of the 108,000 people who responded to the government's UK-wide LGBT Survey in 2018 said they had been offered some form of conversion therapy, while 2% had undergone it. The survey did not define what it meant by conversion therapy, nor ask when or where it happened. But a separate report from the same survey found 7% of LGBT people and 13% of trans people had been offered or undergone such practices — with prevalence particularly high in Muslim communities, where 32% of trans Muslim respondents and 10% of cisgender LGBT Muslim respondents reported experiencing conversion processes.
Galop, an anti-LGBT abuse charity, has released new figures showing that between 2022 and 2025 it identified more than 300 calls about conversion practices. Researchers analysed a sample of 195 of those calls and found reported examples of physical and sexual violence, attempts at forced marriages, and people being forcibly taken abroad to undergo conversion practices. The majority of cases (132) were reported as ongoing or recent, and more than half (123) were reported as being initiated by family or community members.
Saba Ali, Chair of the Ban Conversion Practices Coalition, called the move a 'significant and welcome step forward, but also long overdue'. She said: 'This moment belongs to a movement. Over eighty coalition organisations, countless survivors, clinicians, faith leaders, Parliamentarians and campaigners have refused to let this be forgotten. Today proves what we achieve when we stand together.'
The publication of a draft bill means it can be consulted upon more widely before it formally begins the parliamentary process — a decision the government said was taken because it is a 'complex legal area', adding it hopes to 'build a genuine consensus around a ban'. Labour MP Kate Osborne told Sky News she believed ministers had 'every intention of pushing this through as soon as possible'. The draft ban, which comes in the final week of Pride Month, contains exemptions for legitimate healthcare, allowing for 'free and open conversations about sexuality and transgender identity', and sets a 'high bar for criminality', with only 'acts that are abusive' facing prosecution. Some groups have raised concerns such laws could criminalise exploratory conversations around gender identity or sexual orientation.