Boris Johnson has defended his decision to exempt trans people from a ban on conversion therapy.
His decision to backtrack on a promise to ban the practise being inflicted on all LGBTQ+ people has triggered a backlash from campaign groups as well as many Tory MPs.
Amid the fallout, the government’s landmark international LGBTQ+ conference, due to take place in June, has been cancelled.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, the prime minister said the government would ban gay conversion therapy, which he described as “utterly abhorrent”.
But he said there were “complexities and sensitivities” when “you move from the area of sexuality to the question of gender”.
Conversion therapy is the use of methods, such as aversive stimulation or religious counselling, to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender.
Johnson said: “I don’t think that it’s reasonable for kids to be deemed so-called Gillick-competent to take decisions about their gender or irreversible treatments that they may have.
“I think there should be parental involvement at the very least.”
Gillick competence the term for whether children under the age of 16 can consent to medical treatment without parental permission or knoweldge.
“That doesn’t mean that I’m not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition,” the PM said.
“It’s vital that we give people the maximum possible love and support in making those decisions.
“But these are complex issues and I don’t think they can be solved with one swift, easy piece of legislation. It takes a lot of thought to get this right.”
The government pledged to end conversion therapy in 2018, under Theresa May.
After a long delay, it was revealed last week by ITV News that Johnson had decided to abandon the ban completely.
Following a backlash from his own party, the prime minister said the ban would go ahead, but not for trans people.