Ten years after pledging to make Britain a fairer and more tolerant country, last month Tony Blair announced he would stand down as Prime Minister to make way for his successor Gordon Brown.
Despite considerable pressure from religious groups Blair was a strong supporter of the LGBTI community, and many of his policies were a progressive change from his more conservative predecessors. Under his government the British gay and lesbian community successfully lobbied to eliminate discrimination in a number of areas including adoption laws. Perhaps the most notable LGBTI legislation passed under Blair was the Civil Unions Legislation, which gave same-sex couples rights similar to married couples. In his statement to Parliament marking the passing the of the bill, Blair said:
‘By correcting an obvious injustice, removing fear and providing security, civil unions will change the lives of tens of thousands of people for the better.’
Ben Summerskill, the Chief Executive of high profile British gay rights lobbying group Stonewall told OUTinPerth, ‘Without a doubt, one of New Labour’s lasting legacies will be the contribution that Tony Blair has made to equality for lesbian and gay people. It was unthinkable ten years ago that we’d have had civil partnership by now or even that the Prime Minister would have attended a Stonewall Dinner, as he did in March. And these changes haven’t just impacted upon lesbian and gay people. I think they’ve given a signal to wider society about the sort of nation Britain wants to be in the 21st century, progressive and respectful of difference.’
In contrast to Blair, Gordon Brown has faced strong criticism from the LGBTI community in the past for never utilising his voting power to support gay rights. This less than favourable voting record has alarmed lobby groups, who say the incoming Prime Minister is potentially homophobic and could stymie any further policy progression.
An article in Pink News, Europe’s largest gay news service, declared, ‘Mr Brown could possibly argue that he was “too busy” to attend the votes. However, even with his greater work load, Mr Blair managed to attend four divisions relating to equalising the age of consent and allowing gay couples to jointly adopt.’
Tony Grew, Editor of Pink News, told OiP, ‘There are still a number of areas where LGBTI people are discriminated against in our community. If Gordon Brown is to be Leader, he must prioritise his role in debates about equity and tolerance.’
Prominent gay MP Chris Bryant came out strongly in support of Brown in a statement, saying that any suggestions Brown is homophobic are ridiculous.
‘I know that Gordon believes in what the Labour government has done and is wholly committed to equality. Gordon has not voted on much but his record is still better that David Cameron (Tory Leader) who voted against gay adoption.’
