Boris Johnson’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, said Downing Street stands by the prime minister’s decision to visit Jesus House, despite Labour leader Keir Starmer recently apologising for visiting due to the church’s anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes. Johnson visited the controversial church a month before Starmer, who has since said: “I completely disagree with Jesus House’s beliefs on LGBTQ+ rights, which I was not aware of before my visit.”
Despite Starmer’s retraction of support for Jesus House, Stratton said Johnson’s visit was “incredibly important”, as cited by the Evening Standard. When asked by the press if Johnson regretted his visit, she responded: “We remember the visit to Jesus House well because that day it was the site of a pop-up centre for vaccines. One of the main jobs inside government over the last few weeks and months has been driving up vaccine take-up in communities that are hesitant about taking it – most noticeably the black community.”
She affirmed that the visit was “profitable” as Johnson hopes to “increase vaccine take-up”, but also said the government is “fully committed” to advancing LGBTQ+ rights in the UK. LGBT+ Labour also said that Starmer is “determined to ban conversion therapy and achieve equality for LGBTQ+ people.”
