Moves to lower the age of consent for gay men from 18 to 16 are backed by Keighley MP Ann Cryer. She says the lives of a 'very vulnerable group of young men' should not be made any more difficult. But the measure - which had cleared the Commons with the overwhelming support of MPs - was thrown out by the Lords this week for a second time.
The government is now considering using the Parliament Act to override the Lords and force the change in the law to equalise the age of consent for male homosexuals with that for heterosexuals. Mrs Cryer, who voted for the Bill in the Commons, told us: "I share some of the concerns of Lords about the protection of young men, but at the end of the day on balance it's better for these young men to be within the law than outside it."
A new Bill could not become law before early next year.
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