Tory minister under fire for B&B gay ban gaffe

06 April 2010 by
Tory minister under fire for B&B gay ban gaffe

Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling has come under fire after suggesting that people who run bed-and-breakfasts should have the right to turn away gay couples.

Grayling was recorded at a think-tank seminar last week saying that Christians should be able to refuse anyone who offended their faith from entering their homes, even if they ran a business there.

However he said that hotels should admit gay couples. ""If they are running a hotel on the high street, I really don't think that it is right in this day and age that a gay couple should walk into a hotel and be turned away because they are a gay couple, and I think that is where the dividing line comes," he said.

Grayling told the Centre for Policy Studies that he was happy with the law's current stance on the issue and that he did not want to see it changed. He added that people had to be "sensitive to the genuinely-held principles of faith groups in this country".

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall, told the Observer, which published Grayling's comments that they would be "very alarming to a lot of gay people who may have been thinking of voting Conservative".

Realpub discriminated against gay employee, finds tribunal >>

Christian hotel owners sued for discrimination by gay couple >>

Sodexo signs up to gay rights diversity programme >>

By Neil Gerrard

E-mail your comments to Neil Gerrard here.

If you have something to say on this story or anything else join the debate at Table Talk - Caterer's new networking forum. Go to www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk

Caterersearch.com jobs
Looking for a new job? Find your next hotel job here with Caterersearch.com jobs

Blogs on Caterersearch.com](http://www.caterersearch.com/blogs) Catch up with more news and gossip on all Caterer's blogs
[Newsletters For the latest hospitality news, sign up for our e-mail newsletters.
The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking