Pride Month

Steve Race Excerpts

Thursday 4th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

I am grateful to follow the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion (Siân Berry). I welcome the speeches made by the Minister and the shadow Minister, which were warm and deeply personal, and I recognise the really powerful speech made by the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen).

It is a privilege to speak in the debate to mark and celebrate Pride Month. It is the first time I have had an opportunity to do so since I was elected. It is a particular privilege to do so not just as Basingstoke’s first ever Labour MP but as its first openly bisexual and LGBT+ MP. I am grateful to the hon. Member for Aberdeen North (Kirsty Blackman) for focusing on the B in LGBT.

As other hon. Members have said, in contributing to this debate, it feels like I am a world away from the scared and sometimes ashamed little boy that I was growing up. That shows the huge progress we have made as a society. As such, I look forward to taking part once again in the Basingstoke Pride parade in August. It is always wonderful to see everyone taking part in that parade, joyful, proud and defiant, and to have people from across the community in Basingstoke lining the streets in celebration and solidarity. I pay tribute to all the organisers and volunteers who make it possible.

As the Minister set out, it is important to recognise just how far we have come, and to celebrate this and previous Labour Governments’ records in advancing LGBT+ rights. The last Labour Government did more for LGBT+ equality than any Government in history. We removed the shameful section 28, passed the legislation that allowed trans people legally to change their gender, introduced the Equality Act and civil partnerships, made progress on adoption, and much more. It is a legacy that made our country a far more open and tolerant place to live, but as many hon. Members have said, we all know that the battle is not won—in some respects, it is never won. That is especially the case as hateful and divisive rhetoric creeps back into our public discourse. Far too many follow that up with real-world actions of hatred.

Hate crime and abusive conversion practices are still happening, and much of the rhetoric directed at LGBT+ people today, in particular at trans people, echoes the hatred that was commonplace in the era of section 28. There has been a shocking rise in homophobic and transphobic hate crime in the past few years. That is why, as many speakers have mentioned, I was proud to stand with colleagues to support the amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) to make such hate crimes aggravated offences, ensuring that they are treated with the seriousness they have always deserved. It is also why this Labour Government must remain committed not just to defending the progress made by previous Governments, Labour or otherwise, but to building on our proud legacy in LGBT+ equality.

The Government are making progress by equalising the law so that LGBT+ hate crimes attract sentencing of the same severity as those motivated by race or religion; providing nearly half a million pounds of specialist funding for domestic abuse services; establishing a £21 million fund to support LGBT+ rights globally; improving the experience of our community’s armed forces personnel and veterans and delivering financial recognition to LGBT veterans; working to tackle HIV transmissions and improve access to healthcare; and delivering—hopefully as soon as possible—a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. Nevertheless, I know from emails and conversations I have had locally that many LGBT+ people in Basingstoke remain incredibly worried about what the future holds for our community in this country.

Many trans people, their friends and families, and people in the wider community are profoundly concerned about the recent draft guidance on the Equality Act, its implementation and its practical effects, which my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North ably set out. I assure my constituents that, with colleagues in this House, I shall present their concerns to the Government and seek reassurance, and that as their MP I will continue to stand with them, not just in Pride Month but every day of the year. We will stand strong against those who would turn back the clock. Yes, we will celebrate progress made by this Government, but we will also push them to go further, because as the Minister said, progress and equality are not permanent; both must be safeguarded, nurtured and renewed. I want all our successors here in Parliament to stand in future Pride Month debates to celebrate the progress made under this and future Governments for the LGBT+ community.

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech about not only the progress that has been made, but the need for us all to defend our rights because they are never guaranteed as other rights often are. He briefly mentioned this, but I wanted to talk about other nations pulling back from supporting LGBT rights and some, sadly including Ghana, bringing in severe anti-LGBT legislation. I join my hon. Friend in welcoming the £21 million dedicated by the Government to defending and promoting LGBT rights across the world. This is incredibly important in a range of areas, including health and community. Will he join me in commending the Kaleidoscope Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation for the work they do in partnership with this country and European countries to ensure we play our part in defending our rights here and in promoting and defending LGBT rights around the world?

[Luke Murphy]

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. I pay tribute not only to those organisations but to him for the work I know he did with many colleagues to secure that money. Ghana and other countries rolling back on LGBT rights is a demonstration that the battle is never won. The action we take is about not just protecting our community here in this country, but sending a signal about advances that need to be made abroad.

Nobody should be made to feel scared, ashamed or excluded because of who they are or who they love. It is the duty of everyone in this House and outside it to ensure that that is the case, standing with pride as part of or with the LGBT+ community and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North said, ensuring that love always wins.

--- Later in debate ---

[David Burton-Sampson]

I thank my hon. Friend for his support and for working alongside me to get this matter resolved.

[Steve Race]

I have read in the media that apparently the Leader of the Opposition has instructed Conservative councils across the country not to fly the progress flag and instead to fly only the original flag from the 1970s. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is shame to see the official Opposition joining in with some of the divisive politics and rhetoric that Reform has been engaging in?

[David Burton-Sampson]

That is a real shame. I say to the Leader of the Opposition and anybody else who is concerned about this: do not be concerned, fly the flag and be proud of everybody in the community. It is a real shame and the Conservatives need to consider whether they are doing the right thing by ordering councils not to fly that flag.

Now that Reform UK has taken over Essex county council, it has even sent out an order to Essex libraries not to allow LGBTQ+ and Pride events to take place in those libraries. What is next? Are we going to go back to section 28? I hope not. I remember section 28, because I was at school during that time, and what a horrendous time it was for me as a young gay man. I was not able to see a visible representation of somebody who I knew, deep down inside, was me. For many years, I therefore thought I was wrong. I thought that the way I felt—the fact that I fancied men, or boys at the time; I was only young—was wrong, and I really struggled with that. I and many young LGBT people during the ’80s and ’90s felt guilt because we could not see that representation, and we were being told that we were wrong. It took many, many years to overcome that.

I will never forget going to my first nightclub. Many of the nightclubs outside of London were either in boarded-up buildings or down in basements, so that people could not see what was happening inside and we were hidden away. Men dancing with men or women dancing with women—disgusting! That is how it was. For me, it felt like we were being hidden away, but we fought against that, and we are now out there and proud. We have fought hard for this, and I am not willing to go backwards.

We are at a turning point, especially with our trans community, who tell me that they feel unsafe, unwanted and like they do not belong. We are talking about 0.5% of our population here, but the way that the rhetoric is going at the moment, you would think they make up half of our population. Whatever our views on the code of practice, on the back of the Supreme Court ruling, we have a trans community who are scared. We have human beings who live in this country who are currently scared, and we cannot allow that to continue.

The last time that Labour was in government, we created a tolerant country, and as a Labour Government we aim to do the same thing this time. We cannot go backwards on much of the work that we did. I know that this Government are committed to doing the right thing for the LGBTQ+ community, and the Minister outlined some of that to us earlier, so I am pleased to see that the draft conversion practices Bill will come forward soon. I do believe that the Minister will bring it forward soon, and I look forward to seeing that happen.

On improvements to trans healthcare, we have heard about the work that my amazing friend the hon. Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) brought forward alongside many of us to tackle hate crime and make such behaviour an aggravated offence, alongside other hate crimes, so work is going on.

Somebody reminded me a few days ago of a Martin Niemöller poem, and it really struck a chord with me. I want to share it with the House today:

“They came for the Socialists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a trade unionist

Then they came for the Jews

And I did not speak out

Because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me”.

I am glad that we have people to speak for us, such as our wonderful ally, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), and many others across this place.

Let me go back to the flyer. What comes after Pride? We are a long way from answering that question at the moment—much further away than I would like us to be at this point in time. For now, I commit publicly to my community: I am here for you, I will keep fighting for you, and I will keep speaking out for you. We must stand together against those who are trying to divide us and sow division. In this great country, we all belong in our communities, no matter who we love or how we identify.

Like so many others, I have been made to feel that I do not belong in my lifetime. I have been unable to walk along the street holding my husband’s hand. We have been the victims of a homophobic hate crime at our house. I am not going to go back to those times— I am not willing to go back to those times—and I know many across this House will stand with me on that.

As a former Pride organiser and a chair of trustees today, I thank all the amazing Pride organisers across the country who do so much hard work for their communities, often voluntarily and in their own time. I especially thank my local Pride, Southend Pride, and the Pride I founded, Basildon Pride. You all work so hard, because you believe in the cause you are fighting for; you believe in supporting your community and pushing forward to make things better. Do not stop, do not give up, and thank you.

LGBT+ History Month

Steve Race Excerpts

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

I thank my indefatigable hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) for leading this debate so well.

Let me start by celebrating how far we have come. I was 14 when Labour came to power in 1997, and I already knew that I was gay. From 1997 onwards, I recognised that politics had a direct impact on my life. The John Major Government had already lowered but not equalised the age of consent in 1994, but it took a Labour Government to lift the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual people serving in the military in 2000; to equalise the age of consent in 2001; to repeal section 28 in 2003; to pass the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Gender Recognition Act 2004; to equalise adoption rights for same-sex couples in 2005; and to pass the Equality Act 2010.

The 1997 election saw out gay politicians elected for the first time, including my predecessor as the MP for Exeter, Sir Ben Bradshaw, who was the second elected, by around an hour, after the former Member for Enfield Southgate. He faced the most appalling homophobic campaign in Exeter, but the people of Exeter saw through that and soundly elected him to be their MP. A corner was truly turned for our community in British society.

Although all the legislative changes come from this place, we must always remember that it is activists, campaigners and ordinary people—LGBTQ people and their families, friends and allies—who have always had to make the case for equal rights from the outside in. As with many other communities, it is my job in this place to listen and act to ensure that we continue on the path of equality.

In Exeter and across the south-west, that community network still thrives. The Intercom Trust is a south-west LGBT+ charity that last year served more than 4,000 service users from Exeter, Plymouth and Truro offices, providing a free phone helpline, one-to-one support and advocacy, a domestic abuse and sexual violence support service, hate crime support, school groups, counselling and much more.

The first Exeter Pride event was held only in 2008, during LGBT History Month. The founders, Alan Quick and Michael Hall, hosted the event at the central library—another very good case for why libraries are so important in our communities—featuring art displays, games for children, panel discussions and stalls. Alan still plays a vital role in the life of our city, not only by publishing newspapers, but as a trustee of Inclusive Exeter. Indeed, I saw him just last Sunday, at our fantastic Hongkonger community celebration of the lunar new year.

However, we know that while progress has been rapid in the UK, it is not all one way. As my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) referenced, hate crimes based on sexual orientation are up by 44% in the last five years. If we add trans people, the statistics are worse—an 88% rise in hate crimes. The leader of Reform, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), has stated that he did not support equal marriage at the time; he declared it a “wrong” thing to have done and to have been brought in.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. I assume that the hon. Gentleman has informed the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) that he was going to mention him.

[Steve Race]

I absolutely did, Madam Deputy Speaker; I sent the hon. Gentleman an email before this debate.

In the wake of the Supreme Court judgment and a relentless campaign waged against trans people in some quarters, with funding from outside this country flooding in to stoke division, it has never been more important for people like me in positions like mine to say: I see trans people, and I recognise your contribution in all areas of our society. Trans people have always existed and will continue to exist, and I will do everything that I can to stand with you to ensure that you can live your lives as equal citizens in our country.

That is why I am proud to be a Labour MP. While the political consensus fragments in some quarters, in this place and beyond, in the pursuit of headlines and knee-jerk politics, I know that this Government continue to stand on the side of equality and fairness. We will soon see draft legislation on a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy, thanks to the work of the Minister. My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) has ensured that we will legislate to make crimes motivated by prejudice against people because they are LGBT, because they have a disability or because of their gender identity, an aggravated hate crime.

We are improving the experience of LGBT+ personnel and veterans in the armed forces and delivering financial recognition to LGBT veterans as per the Etherton review. We are tackling HIV transmissions to meet our target of no new HIV transmissions by 2030. We are improving access to healthcare and providing nearly £500,000-worth of specialist funding for LGBT+-focused domestic violence services. We will continue to reject the politics of division and hate, and we will build on Labour’s long history of fighting for equality.

However, we must look at the international situation. I thank the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Kaleidoscope for their work and support in this area. Since 1983, 84 countries have decriminalised consensual same-sex relations, and 65 have recognised marriage equality. Countries across Asia have legalised same-sex marriage, including Taiwan in 2019, Nepal in 2023 and Thailand in 2025, and same-sex relations have been decriminalised in Africa by Botswana in 2019, Mauritius in 2023 and Namibia in 2024. New Zealand became the first country to recognise non-binary gender markers on passports, and India, Pakistan and Bangladesh recognise hijra, or third-gender individuals. Globally, we have also seen positive trends in adoption rights and legal gender recognition. In 2016, after sustained campaigning by activists worldwide, the UN voted to create a mandate for the independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, which was a landmark moment in international human rights protection.

However, 65 nations, which is nearly a third, still classify LGBTQ+ people as criminals, and homosexuality is punishable by death in 12 countries. In the last two years alone, several countries have passed harsh new laws targeting LGBT+ people. In 2024, Georgia banned gender transitions, legal gender recognition, Pride events and LGBTQ+ symbols. For the first time, Mali criminalised homosexuality with a punishment of up to seven years in prison in 2024. In the United States, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ Bills were introduced, aiming to restrict trans rights and LGBTQ+ education.

Burkina Faso’s Government passed a law in September 2025 banning homosexuality, with those found guilty facing two to five years in prison, according to the state broadcaster. The draft law was unanimously passed by 71 unelected members of the country’s transitional Government, who have been in place since the military seized power. In late 2025, Ghana parliamentarians reintroduced a Bill to criminalise identifying as LGBTQ, with penalties of up to three years in prison. Funding or forming an LGBTQ-related group would be punished by up to five years in prison.

I recently met LGBT activists from Hong Kong and Botswana who talked to me about the repression that communities in those places still face, as well as the support they receive from Kaleidoscope and the funding for programmes that comes from the FCDO’s official development assistance, which are vital to some communities around the world. LGBT rights are not just a nice to have; they are fundamental to human rights, and they are fundamental to healthy societies too.

For the first time since UNAIDS began reporting on punitive laws a decade ago, the number of countries criminalising same-sex sexual activity and gender expression has increased. An analysis of data from 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that HIV prevalence among men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men in countries that criminalise same-sex relations is five times higher than in non-criminalised settings.

I am proud that the UK is leaning in yet again and supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with a new £850 million pledge. However, as Elton John and David Furnish pointed out in a recent independent op-ed:

“the force which enabled Aids to become a global catastrophe was not immunological; it was fear and apathy.”

Stigma, homophobia and transphobia play as big a role in health epidemics as the virus and the healthcare system itself. That is why Pride still matters, and that is why LGBT History Month still matters.

While we have achieved so much in the UK, we still need to fight to retain our rights here, because around the world homophobia and inequality still exist, hurting individuals and communities. The UK has a vital role to play, partly because of the historical context of colonialism, in supporting the progress towards a more equal world, and I am proud to say that I believe we will continue to do so.

Early Education and Childcare

Steve Race Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Morgan]

It was a real privilege to visit my hon. Friend’s constituency to see at first hand the hard work she is undertaking with school staff and nursery settings. She is absolutely right: our investment in early years will make a huge difference to children’s lives by allowing them to socialise and to develop the skills they need to succeed in life, as well as delivering real benefits for parents across the country, saving them on average £7,500 a year.

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

In just one year, up to 2,970 more children will receive free school meals in Exeter. We have received capital investment for Newtown and St Gabriel’s primary schools. Three primary schools in my constituency—Whipton Barton junior and infants and St Sidwell’s—are in the roll-out of breakfast clubs. This week, we have a new school-based nursery at Exwick Heights primary school. Can the Minister set out how that all helps us to achieve our aim to reduce child poverty in Exeter and across the country?

Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Race Excerpts

Monday 21st July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Catherine Atkinson (Derby North) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking to help improve the condition of the further education college estate.

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

12. What steps she is taking to improve the quality of the further education estate.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)]

Excellent further education colleges are a key building block of the Government’s opportunity and growth missions. The Government are committed to improving the condition of schools and colleges in England and will invest nearly £3 billion per year by 2034-2035, rising from £2.4 billion in 2024-25.

--- Later in debate ---

[Steve Race]

I know that the Minister will agree with me that in Exeter we have two of the country’s most outstanding FE institutions. Exeter college is rated outstanding by Ofsted and as “strong” in its approach to meeting the skills needs of our area—the first time a college has achieved both. Exeter maths school is also rated outstanding and gives students from across the south-west the opportunity to specialise in maths, physics and computing. But as my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson) said, that success comes with its own challenges. Both are bursting at the seams and need capital investment to allow them to expand and continue their exceptional work. Does the Minister agree that Exeter college could also be an exceptional candidate to become a construction technical excellence college for the south-west, and will he meet me to discuss the ways in which we can support those changes?

[Stephen Morgan]

I join my hon. Friend in recognising the success of Exeter college and Exeter maths school, which are both outstanding. As he will know, the Government have announced capital funding to improve the condition of the estate and accommodate rising student numbers as we hope to replicate the success of these settings across the country.