High Peak Liberal DemocratsThanks to Liberal Democrat pressure in Parliament, thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now abolished sexual offences have today been posthumously pardoned.
Liberal Democrat peer John Sharkey, whose Private Member's Bill was instrumental in securing a pardon for Alan Turing, reached an agreement with the Government in November to grant a posthumous pardon to thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under long-abolished sexual offence laws.
This has been a long-fought campaign for the Liberal Democrats who first raised the issue in Parliament in the early days of Coalition Government.
Lord Sharkey, the author of the original amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill, commented:
"This is a momentous day for thousands of families up and down the UK who have been campaigning on this issue for decades.
"It is a wonderful thing that we have been able to build on the pardon granted to Alan Turing during Coalition and extend it to thousands of men unjustly convicted for sexual offences that would not be crimes today."
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron MP added:
"The Liberal Democrats continue to be the strongest voice on equality in Parliament.
"Although it comes too late for those convicted, the friends and relatives of the thousands of people who suffered under this unfair and discriminatory law will now have a weight lifted off their shoulders."
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