THE MOST NOTABLE ABSENCE FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE WAS A LAW ON CONVERSION THERAPY
Many of the plans set out had been previously discussed, including reform to rental markets, football governance and smoking. One of the bills most likely to attract political disagreement proposes continued licenses for oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, although placing this bill before parliament also pushes the Labour Party to take a position on the issue - one which affects many jobs in Scotland, where the party is looking to gain seats.
One piece of legislation that may impact Christians is the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. This has been proposed in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing and will introduce new responsibilities for venues open to the public. No new responsibilities will apply to venues with a capacity below 100, a standard level to those between 100 and 800, and an enhanced level for venues larger than this. It is likely that these duties will apply to churches and this is an area the Evangelical Alliance will be engaging with as the proposed law progresses.
NOTABLE ABSENCE
The most notable absence from the speech (from a Christian perspective at least) was a law on conversion therapy. In the previous speech in May 2022, plans were set out for a draft bill, following a consultation that had taken place a few months previously.
Since then, there have been numerous rumoured changes of direction and occasional commitments to introducing legislation. In the past month alone, it has been suggested that there would be no new bill – on the basis that existing laws tackle abusive practices and new laws risked undermining individual choice and religious freedom – followed by pushback, and a brief that a draft law would be introduced for scrutiny by a committee of MPs.
The Evangelical Alliance, along with many other Christian organisations and churches, as well as others outside of the Church, raised many concerns about the potential consequences of poor legislation in this area. The point has often been made (which is now being acknowledged by government) that where abuse is taking place, it can and should be addressed through existing laws. PC.
