Inside Politics: Energy price hike bites & No 10’s double U-turn

Millions face £700 increase to yearly energy bills as No 10 to go ahead with ban on so-called gay conversion therapy after backlash, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

It has not been a good week for the government’s relations with the LGBT community. First, Boris Johnson made a “bad taste” joke about trans people while trying to woo Tories at a plush dinner in central London on Tuesday, just hours before Jamie Wallis, one of his own MPs, came out as trans. Now the government, which has acquired a reputation for performing screeching U-turns, has gone one further by coming full circle on plans to ban gay conversion therapy.

ITV first broke the news on Wednesday evening that Johnson had ditched his government’s commitment to end the practice – whose adherents claim can change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity – despite pledges by him and Theresa May, his predecessor, to do so. According to a leaked briefing document, the move was justified on the grounds that, “Given the unprecedented circumstances of major pressures on cost of living and the crisis in Ukraine, there is an urgent need to rationalise our legislative programme”. It also included embarrassing details of how ministers could minimise “the noisy backlash from LGBT groups and some parliamentarians” once the legislation was pulled.

Just hours later it emerged that the PM had changed course – but only following an absolutely furious backlash from campaigners, MPs and commentators in the media, although the latest proposals won’t cover trans people. Aside from the obvious consequence of the nearly scrapped move further alienating the LGBT community, the No 10 full circle fiasco raises fresh questions about Johnson’s judgement and Downing Street operation. Embarrassing U-turns – never mind complete tail spins – were supposed to be a thing of the past when the weakened PM “reset” his core team earlier this year at the height of the Partygate scandal and brought in Guto Harri as director of communications.