Last month three members resigned from the Government’s advisory panel on LGBT issues, which had been set up by Theresa May.

Jayne Ozanne was the first to go. It is worth watching the news clip, in which she reveals that she has also resigned from the Conservative party over this issue.

I’ve resigned from @GEOgovuk the #LGBT Advisory Panel – and decided to say exactly what I think about this administration and the way they treat LGBT people, particularly trans people.

Do watch ITV News tonight for the full interviewhttps://t.co/U6pjNZwyEq

— Jayne Ozanne (@JayneOzanne) March 10, 2021

The main concern of those who resigned was that the Government was not acting as promised on gay conversion “therapy”.

And now Liz Truss has disbanded the rest of the panel, to disbelief and anger from campaigners across the political spectrum.

Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem Equalities spokesperson, said:

The Government is badly letting down our LGBT+ community. The resignation of three advisors last month should have been a wake up call, but Tory Ministers are burying their heads in the sand instead.

Scrapping this advisory panel is a backwards step at a time when we badly need progress from the Government. The Tories are still dragging their feet on banning conversion therapy, and failing to tackle the rise in anti-LGBT hate crimes.

LGBT+ people still face far too much discrimination, and the Government must do far more to tackle it. Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to build a fairer, more equal society where every person’s rights and dignity are respected.

* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.