Owen Jones brands Tories ‘enemy’ of LGBT+ community in angry swipe at Suella Braverman

The left-wing commentator accused the Home Secretary of “tapping into base prejudice” after comments she made about gay asylum seekers.

Ms Braverman has faced fierce criticism after she said in a speech in Washington that fearing discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be enough to qualify for refugee protection.

Around a dozen Tory MPs, including ministers, complained to the Chief Whip Simon Hart following last week’s speech in Washington.

Speaking to the Daily Express at the Conservative Conference in Manchester, Mr Jones said: “The Government have utter contempt for the LGBTQ community, you can see that with them scrapping proposals to ban conversion therapy in this country.”

“The fact that gay Conservative MPs have said that this looks like a Government indulging in homophobia I think is something I would strongly agree with.

“It is tapping into base prejudices.”

Mr Jones continued: “The Government is in my opinion an enemy of the LGBTQ community from not scrapping conversion therapy which is what they said they’d do, to trying to indulge in dog whistle politics over gay refugees.

“I think this is an anti-LGBT government. They don’t even have LGBTQ members of the cabinet and I think this is a Government that is just sticking its fingers up at LGBTQ people and no self-respecting LGBTQ person should be voting for the Conservative party.”

Veteran Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant earlier defended Ms Braverman’s call to limit gay asylum seekers, saying she is not homophobic.

The Litchfield MP and patron of the Conservative LGBT+ group said the Home Secretary has been unfairly attacked as “people love to seize on her”.

At the party conference’s LGBT+ Conservative stand, Mr Fabricant told the Daily Express: “All she was saying is that if people are using as an excuse, it’s wrong.

“Every application has to be looked at on its merits but I certainly don’t think that Suella Braverman is homophobic or was even trying to be.

“But of course, people seize on her that’s what they love to do.”