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The Tory record is 'nothing short of shameful', said Chris Huhne
Chros Huhne
Lib Dems: Gay rights would 'grind to a halt' under Tories
The Liberal Democrats have attacked the "shameful" Conservative record on gay rights, pointing out that nearly a third of David Cameron's shadow cabinet voted against such legislation at some point over the last two parliaments.
Their research highlights several examples of equal rights laws rejected by current shadow cabinet members and MPs who will be standing at the next election.
- Ten shadow cabinet members voted against 2003's legislation to repeal Section 28, which had banned schools and local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality. Among them were David Cameron, George Osborne and William Hague.
- Nineteen shadow cabinet members joined the attempt to block the Equality Bill and seven voted to allow only heterosexual married couples to adopt, along with 35 MPs.
- Four of the shadow cabinet voted against powers, passed in 2007, giving the Secretary of State the ability to introduce legislation defining discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation.
-A third of MPs voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations in 2007, which allowed the government to make regulations defining discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Chris Huhne, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, claimed that gay rights advancement would "grind to a halt" under the Conservatives. "The Tory record on supporting gay rights is nothing short of shameful," he said.
Last week, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg described David Cameron as "very difficult to trust" on the issue of gay rights, citing his record over Section 28 and his party's alliance with right-wing anti-gay parties in Europe.
Of the rest of his party, he said: "The surveys of a lot of the next generation of Conservative MPs show a massive residue of indifference at best, prejudice at worst."
