King's Speech 2026: Draft Conversion Practices Bill

Draft Conversion Practices Bill

“My Government will bring forward… a draft Bill to ban abusive conversion practices”

● Conversion practices are abuse, and the Government will deliver the
manifesto commitment to bring forward a trans-inclusive ban on conversion
practices.

What does the Bill do?

● The Conversion Practices Bill, which will be published in draft for
pre-legislative scrutiny, will seek to fill the gaps in criminal law to target
conversion practices.

● The Government wants to ensure that the criminal law offers protection from
these practices, while also preserving the freedom for people, and those
supporting them, to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity.

● The Government is clear that the ban must be balanced and targeted, so as
not to impinge on legitimate healthcare and the range of broader support that
those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity might seek or
receive. It is also not intended to interfere with people’s right to religious belief
and expression.

● There is cross-party and cross-society consensus to see these practices
banned. However, we need to ensure that the ban is effective in the
long-term. The draft Bill will therefore be put forward for pre-legislative
scrutiny, which will allow us to seek expert views from a range of
stakeholders, and inform the subsequent legislative approach.

● Reports and case studies highlight that individuals are being subjected to
conversion practices today - this is not just an historical issue. These
practices are often damaging and have long-term impacts. The Government
will act to protect all individuals from harmful and abusive attempts to change
their sexual orientation or transgender identity.

Territorial extent and application

● The draft Bill will extend and apply to England and Wales.

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Key facts

● Conversion practices are often hidden, covert, and associated with shame,
which results in a reluctance of victims to come forward and therefore makes
it difficult to ascertain the true extent of the problem. However, current
evidence consistently shows that conversion practices still happen today.

● A nationally representative survey of 2,000 LGBT+ individuals in Great Britain,
conducted by Opinium on behalf of Stonewall in 2024, found that around one
in ten (11 per cent) had experienced a form of conversion practice in the
previous year.

● A survey of LGBT+ individuals in the UK carried out by Galop in 2022 found
that:

○ Nearly one in five (18 per cent) of LGBT+ people in the UK have
been subjected to someone trying to change, ‘cure’, or suppress
their sexual orientation or gender identity.

○ Transgender respondents were much more likely to report having
been subjected to conversion practices (43 per cent).

● In 2017, the Government at the time conducted the National LGBT+ Survey.
The open access survey received around 108,000 valid responses from
across the UK. Of these:

○ Two per cent of respondents reported having “undergone
conversion or reparative therapy in an attempt to ‘cure’ them of
being LGBT,” and a further five per cent reported having been offered
it.

○ Transgender respondents were much more likely to report having
undergone or been offered conversion therapy than
non-transgender respondents (13 per cent vs seven per cent).

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