Will Young has admitted he feels “terrified” to be a gay man in Britain and said he will leave the UK if the Tories win the next election.
The former Pop Idol winner criticised the Conservatives’ treatment of the LGBTQ community and expressed his fears over comments made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Last week, the Home Secretary used her speech at the Tory party conference to warn that a “hurricane”of migration is coming to the UK.
She previously stoked controversy last month by claiming that some refugees claim to be gay to game the asylum system, and that multiculturalism had failed, in a speech to a right-leaning thinktank in Washington DC.
In response to her comments, Young, who attended the Labour Party conference, told the Mirror: “I won’t stay in this country if they [the Tories] win. No way. It’s too terrifying.
“I feel scared when you see a Home Secretary stand up and pick on LGBT migrants and talking about hurricanes. They’re picking on minorities, it’s just terrifying.
“It makes me feel a bit scared as a gay man. I haven’t really seen that before. It’s weird that I’m in my 40s seeing politicians making such radical statements.”
The 44-year-old singer also expressed support for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, insisting that “positive change is on the horizon”.
Ms Braverman’s speech last month prompted fierce criticism from charities and the UN’s refugee agency, after she called for the definition of a refugee to be tightened.
The UNHCR rejected calls for reform, instead saying more needed to be done by countries to speed up their processing of claims.
Others criticising the speech were LGBT+ rights charity Stonewall, which called it “concerning”, and pop legend Sir Elton John, who said dismissing the very real danger LGBTQ+ communities face “risks further legitimising hate and violence against them.”
However, Ms Braverman stood by her remarks, rejecting assertions they displayed a lack of compassion for those fleeing from war zones.
Instead, she said it was “prudent” to question “illegal migration.”
“We are facing unprecedented levels of illegal migration, not just in the UK but also in countries like the US and other western or European nations,” she said.
“It’s right that we ask for greater collaboration at the international level amongst like-minded partners and, ultimately, the UK cannot sustain such levels of illegal migration or, indeed, legal migration.
“It’s indeed the prudent thing for political leaders to call this out and take steps to address it.”
