Labour MP praises anti-LGBTQ+ church

UK Labour MP Stephen Timms has been criticised for praising the Jesus House church, following a visit from leader Keir Starmer which saw considerable backlash. On April 6, Timms tweeted: “I applaud the extraordinary work of Jesus House, and of churches and other faith groups, in supporting our communities throughout the past year.”

Writer James Felton responded to his tweet saying: “Are there any non-homophobic churches you could single out for praise instead?” Another social media user added: “Given his record of voting against LGBTQ+ rights I think it’s pretty clear why he’s praised a church that supports conversion therapy and exorcising its gay parishioners.” In response to the criticism, Timms told HuffPost UK that Jesus House told him it regarded “homophobia as anti-Christian”.

Meanwhile, Starmer apologised and removed the video of himself visiting the church, saying: “I completely disagree with Jesus House’s beliefs on LGBTQ+ rights, which I was not aware of before my visit.”