The Free Speech Union

Labour MPs are calling on Andy Burnham to scrap the draft Conversion Practices Bill, which could see parents jailed for up to five years for having well-intentioned conversations with their gender-confused children. At least a dozen MPs have reportedly told Labour whips that they are unhappy with the bill. A number of ministers are also said to have “grave concerns”. Under the bill, parents, therapists and religious leaders could face up to five years in prison for putting pressure on someone to change their sexuality or gender identity. The bill risks being weaponised by activists, children and employers. It is also expected to cost £100 million over a decade. Lord Glasman, founder of Blue Labour, has said: “Putting parents at risk of prosecution for trying to protect their children is something no Labour government should even consider.” Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi believes the draconian legislation would have a chilling effect on parents who want to give their children loving advice. She told The Telegraph: “I would urge the Prime Minister to step in and scrap this bill. “Mothers are often closest to their children – they need to be brave and strong and look after their children. If parents are criminalised and families divided, it is mothers who will be affected.” This bill is perverse and sinister. It must be axed. Read more in @Telegraph 👇

We hear a great deal from the left, including this Labour Government, about the threat of mis- and disinformation. But it is almost always framed as a danger coming from the right. It is easy for activists to claim that anti-migration protests and climate scepticism are driven by fake news. But why is misinformation from the left rarely discussed? Take the riots in France, which were reportedly sparked by claims of cuts to the education budget. In fact, government spending on education is set to rise by €1.1 billion next year — an increase of 1.7 per cent. France also spends more per lycée pupil than the OECD average. The riots also drew pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom are fuelled by claims that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza — a charge the International Court of Justice has yet to uphold. Andy Burnham used his first speech at the UN to announce the creation of the National Centre for Information Defence (NCID), which will tackle mis- and disinformation, primarily from Russia. He claimed that Russia spreads false narratives about Britain and pushes people towards the “far right”. But, as Lord Young of Acton, the Free Speech Union’s general secretary, points out, the Government Office for Science commissioned a review of academic literature before establishing this new quango. The review labelled “false and misleading” information a “systemic national risk” and called for “statutory frameworks” to be established by the Government. Yet it never considered whether misinformation might come from the UK Government itself. On climate change, Lord Young writes: “The examples are all drawn from one side of the debate. It cites campaigns against EVs and heat pumps, net zero being ‘decoupled’ from the science and renewable projects being ‘cancelled due to misinformation’. Nothing about climate-related disasters becoming more deadly (they aren’t), Antarctica melting (it gained ice in recent years) or Pacific islands disappearing into the sea (most atoll islands studied have been stable or grown).” Read more from Lord Young in @spectator 👇

Cruel and archaic conversion practices that try to force someone who is gay to be straight are, of course, abhorrent. That is why they are already illegal. But, as is becoming increasingly common, the Labour government is obsessing over legislating for issues that are not actually a problem, and its Conversion Practices Bill is a prime example. Under the draft Conversion Practices Bill, parents, therapists, and religious leaders could face up to five years behind bars for well-intentioned conversations with gender-confused children, or for sharing their faith's teachings on sex, gender, and marriage with their congregations. Government figures show that Labour's Conversion Practices Bill could cost businesses and taxpayers up to £100 million over a decade. Businesses and taxpayers are already facing enough pressure in the current economic climate. We cannot afford this bill. Read more below 👇

Stonewall has been given unprecedented access to Downing Street and helped the Labour Government draw up its “chilling” Conversion Practices Bill. The Telegraph has revealed that the controversial charity has been supplying Downing Street with research to justify the proposed law. Under the Bill, parents, therapists and religious leaders could face up to five years in prison for having important conversations with gender-confused children or sharing their faith’s teachings on sex, gender and marriage with their congregations. Stonewall’s head of policy was reportedly invited to a meeting at 10 Downing Street to discuss the proposed law and made recommendations to the MPs scrutinising the Bill. Dennis Kavanagh, director of the Gay Men’s Network and a criminal barrister, said his organisation had not been offered similar meetings. He told The Telegraph: “The level of government access afforded to Stonewall is extraordinary, particularly in view of their extreme position on gender matters and their poor track record in accurately stating the law.” Published in June, the Bill’s impact assessment cited a Stonewall survey to argue that conversion practices were so prevalent that new legislation was needed — even though conversion practices are already illegal. Read more below 👇