The Conservative Party’s manifesto at the general election last year stated: “We will build on the posthumous pardon of Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing, who committed suicide following his conviction for gross indecency, with a broader measure to lift the blight of outdated convictions of this nature. Thousands of British men still suffer from similar historic charges, even though they would be completely innocent of any crime today. Many are dead and cannot correct this injustice themselves through the legal process we have introduced while in government. So we will introduce a new law that will pardon those people, and right those wrongs.”
Such pardons will be made available under the Policing and Crime Bill which is now in the Lords. Amendments to make provision for them, moved by the Lib Dem peer, Lord Sharkey (who has campaigned hard for some years), were accepted by the Government during the Bill’s committee stage on November 9. Alistair Lexden introduced amendments to extend the arrangements for “gay pardons” to Northern Ireland where there is wide support for them. Further consideration will be given to his amendments at a later stage in the Lords.
Follow the link to read his speech…. Hansard