Local Conservative chairman stands up for gay equality and slams MPs 26/01/07

Justin Hinchcliffe, the Chairman of Tottenham Conservatives and a member of the National Conservative Convention, has today slammed an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament which calls for faith-based adoption agencies to be exempt from the 2006 Equality Act.  The Motion was put forward by Richard Younger-Ross, Lib Dem MP for Teignbridge, and has so far attracted seven signatures from two Lib Dem MPs, two Labour and three Tories.

Said Justin Hinchcliffe: "The gay community has friends and foes in all mainstream political parties - the range of signatories on this EDM proves this.  Interestingly, the LibDems like to claim to have the best and most comprehensive approach to lesbian and gay equality. Yet it is one of their own MPs who put forward this motion to allow discrimination to continue - and proportionately more LibDem MPs have backed it than those from the two major parties. Many Conservatives, myself included, strongly support the Equality Act as it stands and do not believe that the government should cave in to moral blackmail from sections of the Catholic church and from homophobes of many religious persuasions. I was saddened to see certain names on the EDM, and call on supportive MPs of all parties to counter it with a pro-equality motion."

ENDS.