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UK election results – a breakdown of local MPs’ support for LGBT+ rights

simonWP

Warwickshire is looking very different this week. Congratulations to all the winning election candidates. Here are the results.

  • Kenilworth & Southam – CONSERVATIVE HOLD
  • North Warwickshire – LABOUR GAIN
  • Nuneaton – LABOUR GAIN
  • Rugby – LABOUR GAIN
  • Stratford-on-Avon – LIB DEM GAIN
  • Warwick & Leamington – LABOUR HOLD

While Warwickshire Pride has no political affiliation, it is important that the charity engages with politicians from all parties to push for their support of LGBT+ rights, freedoms and protections. Politicians must be held to account and called out when not supporting LGBT+ communities.

  • In Kenilworth & Southam, their MP has a long history of not supporting LGBT+ rights, declining to engage with Warwickshire Pride (although he did respond to the recent questions we send to every candidate), and generally being unsupportive. We will continue to contact him and call out his negative words and actions.
  • The now ex-MP in North Warwickshire was hostile and ranted about Warwickshire Pride on Twitter. The new MP’s stance is unknown.
  • The now ex-MP in Nuneaton historically voted against LGBT+ rights but he engaged positively with Warwickshire Pride, apologised for being unsupportive, and promised to do better. He did stick to his promise. It showed that positive engagement can work. The new MP’s stance is unknown.
  • The now ex-MP in Rugby was unsupportive and said his lack of support for LGBT+ rights was based on what the Catholic church told him to do. The new MP’s stance is unknown.
  • The now ex-MP in Stratford-on-Avon made all the right sounds in public and on Twitter but never genuinely supported LGBT+ communities in Stratford. It was always lip service. The new MP’s stance is unknown.
  • As for Warwick & Leamington, we’ve always been lucky to have a supportive MP. Going back to when Chris White was the Conservative MP, he was incredibly supportive and did a lot behind the scenes that has never been made public (at his request – he didn’t want the glory). Then we had Matt Western, who is the current Labour MP. He has also been incredibly supportive and has always 100% supported Warwickshire Pride, our work, LGBT+ rights, and particularly trans rights.

We will continue to engage with all MPs in Warwickshire. While some may appear more LGBT+ friendly, it doesn’t mean they get a free pass. We want to see positive actions across Warwickshire and particularly the Labour MPs lobbying the government to improve LGBT+ rights, tackle rising transphobia, ban conversion therapy completely, and do right by our communities.

There needs to be a shift in the current narrative and an end to the suffering our communities have faced for too long. So, we will let the MPs settle in and then get to work with our ongoing programme of engagement, which as always we will make public.