THE TUC joined more than 100 organisations today in pulling out of Britain’s first ever global LGBT conference in protest against Tory ministers’ stance on conversion therapy.

The government’s three-day Safe To Be Me event was due to be held this summer to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first London Pride marches.

However, the BBC has reported that the conference could now be scrapped following a furious response to plans by ministers to exclude trans and non-binary people from a ban on conversion therapy.

The widely condemned practice seeks to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Last year whistleblowers at the Tavistock gender identity clinic argued that a cautious approach should be taken regarding gender identity. The clinic’s provision of gender identity services for children is currently being reviewed by former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Hilary Cass.

The government claimed that it would investigate how trans conversion therapy can be banned, but in a statement, the TUC LGBT committee said that the proposed exclusion “shows that the government does not prioritise inclusion and safety for all LGBT+ people.

“Defending the rights of LGBT+ people and organising LGBT+ workers into unions is part of our trade union mission to defend the human and labour rights of every worker.

“We stand with our trans and non-binary siblings and will continue to work for the rights of all workers to live in freedom and with equality.”