Rishi Sunak and Ben Wallace have formally apologised to the Commons for the decades-long ban on LGBT people serving in the UK armed forces, after the publication of a government-commissioned review.
Beginning the final prime minister’s questions before the summer recess, Sunak said the ban, which lasted from 1967 to 2000, “was an appalling failure of the British state, decades behind the law of this land”.
The review, begun last year and carried out by Lord Etherton, the former master of the rolls, examined the experiences of LGBT veterans who served in the military during the ban. It recommended a formal apology and compensation of up to £50m.
“As today’s report makes clear, in that period many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment, all while bravely serving this country,” Sunak told MP.
“Today, on behalf of the British state, I apologise. And I hope all those affected will be able to feel proud parts of the veterans’ community that has done so much to keep our country safe.”
In a subsequent Commons statement, Wallace, the defence secretary, apologised for “the unacceptable hurt caused to the LGBT members of our nation’s armed forces”.
He told MPs: “It was not acceptable. It was not what the brave men and women it affected deserved. For that, on behalf of the government and the armed forces, I am deeply sorry.
“I cannot imagine what it must have felt like to have been hounded out of a job you love, simply on account of your sexuality.”
Wallace praised the bravery of those veterans who had contributed to the report, calling it “truly harrowing reading”. Many of those targeted had faced “something of a witch-hunt”, he said, including having their confidences broken, abuse and being forced to take tests with no medical basis.
Promising the government would implement the “vast majority” of Etherton’s recommendations, Wallace said he would fully update the Commons in a formal debate about the issue after the summer.
Asked about compensation, Wallace said he hoped to find “an elegant solution that matches the need and the requirements of those individuals”, promising to set this out after recess.
Dame Kelly Holmes, who served in the army and came out as gay last year, was among campaigners who welcomed the apology. “It means a huge amount to be here today and to hear it and be part of this with some other veterans that are all part of the review,” the Olympic athlete said.
“From a personal point of view, the ban affected me in terms of who I was and what I couldn’t be for 34 years, leading me to do my documentary last year.”
Responding to Sunak at PMQs, Keir Starmer said he was proud that it was a Labour government that had repealed the ban, and he welcomed the apology.
Starmer said one of his constituents, Ken Wright, a former RAF service member who was “forced to leave the job he loved simply because he was gay”, was in the public gallery to hear the apology.
Etherton’s report said: “I recommend that the prime minister should deliver an apology in the UK parliament on behalf of the nation to all those LGBT service personnel who served under and suffered from the ban (whether or not they were dismissed or discharged).”
It recommended that an “appropriate financial award” should be made to veterans affected by the ban, with a maximum total of £50m, and said the plan should not be affected by normal litigation time limits.
