LEADING politicians from a North-East town have pledged to press the Government to outlaw ‘gay conversion therapies’ as soon as possible.

Darlington MP Peter Gibson, the leaders of Darlington council and the authority’s first LGBT+ ambassador said they are committed to seeing an end to any form of treatment or psychotherapy which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or to suppress a person’s gender identity.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Gibson told Minister for Equalities Liz Truss that so-called therapies must be viewed as abuse, and those who perpetrated it should be prevented in law from being able to do so.

He said: “As a gay man and a Christian, I believe such controls should also extend to religious organisations that seek to change a person’s sexuality.”

Ms Truss replied legislation being developed would “stamp out coercion and causing people harm wherever it took place”.

The parliamentary exchange came as LGBT+ ambassador Councillor Darrien Wright told a meeting of the authority while there had been significant progress over the past year, the LGBT+ community still faced hate and stigma in Darlington.

He said: “Absolutely no-one should be told their identity could be cured, changed or corrected.”

Cllr Jonathan Dulston said both he and the authority’s leader Councillor Heather Scott would sign a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to keep banning gay conversion therapy among its top legislative priorities.

He said: “It will be banned. We just need to make sure the voice is heard and we push this and keep it high on the agenda so it doesn’t get lost.”