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A large majority of MPs voted against the amendment on Monday
Houses of Parliament
Lords vote on 'free speech' clause to homophobic hatred offence
The House of Lords will vote today on a 'free speech' clause to the offence of homophobic hatred. The amendment, to part of the coroners and justice bill, was rejected by the Commons on Monday night with a vote of 342 to 145.
Lord Waddington's amendment reads: "For the avoidance of doubt, the discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practises or the urging of persons to refrain from or modify such conduct or practises shall not be taken of itself to be threatening or intended to stir up hatred."
The amendment has been supported by human rights group Liberty, the Church of England, gay political sketch writer and ex-Tory MP Matthew Parris, and Rowan Atkinson, who addressed a meeting at the Lords in March with his concern that a culture of "censoriousness" would be created by removing the free speech clause.
Monday night's vote was the fourth time the Commons had considered the amendment, which was inserted by the Lords into the new offence of homophobic hatred in May 2008. After allowing it onto the statute book, the government tried and failed twice to remove it, eventually introducing a clause to repeal it in another bill which came before the Lords in July, where it was rejected by a large majority.
