FURNESS MP Simon Fell has welcomed a government commitment to ban ‘grotesque and despicable’ conversion therapy.

The plan was set out as part of the Queen’s Speech at the state opening of parliament.

The Government said a proposed ban would be put before MPs followed by a consultation.

A document signed by a number of leading health groups defined conversion therapy as the attempt to change sexual orientation or gender identity.

Ulverston man Jeremy Gavins has previously spoken of being given electric shocks to change his sexuality and wrote about his traumatic experiences in his book “Is it about that boy?”.

Conservative Mr Fell welcomed the Government spelling out its agenda as a whole and the commitment to formally banning conversion therapy.

He said: “The Queen’s Speech was rightly focussed on ensuring that the UK is in a strong position to build back out of the pandemic.

“Over the last 12 months we’ve seen first hand the need to move forward the levelling up agenda and why it is essential to improve not just the environment that people live and work in, but also their health outcomes too.

“I look forward to working with the Government on this Bill in particular and banging the drum for Furness.

“Tackling health and social care reform is going to be key to improving communities like ours, as is accelerating the roll out of broadband and improving the environment.

“I’m glad there are Bills planned to do just this.

“There is plenty more in the Queen’s Speech to like, not least the planned ban on conversion therapy - a grotesque and despicable practice.”

Around 30 pieces of legislation promised in the speech include:

- A Health and Care Bill to better integrate the NHS and social care systems.

- A Planning Bill to make it easier to build new homes, schools and hospitals.

- New laws to scrap the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, meaning it will be easier to call an early general election before 2024.

- The return of the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which saw demonstrations over concerns that it would curtail the right to protest when it was last before Parliament.

The Government also promised a ‘levelling-up White Paper’ setting out how Mr Johnson intends to meet the promises made to voters in former Labour-voting areas.

Labour leader Kier Starmer called the Queen’s Speech drawn up by ministers ‘an insult to the whole nation’.