Potential PM says ‘final say’ on children learning about same-sex relationships is for parents
Tory leadership hopeful Esther McVey has come under fire from within her own party after she said it should be up to parents if they want to withdraw their primary-age children from lessons on same-sex relationships.
The remarks by McVey, a former work and pensions secretary, sparked a backlash from equality campaigners and one of her own colleagues, Justine Greening, who was the first openly gay female cabinet minister.
Related: Fear of LGBT-inclusive lessons harks back to 80s, says Peter Tatchell
Introduced by the Thatcher government, Section 28 of the Local Government Act stated that a local authority shall not ‘intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality’ or ‘promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’.
