21/10/2016

Mark D'Arcy reports from Westminster as a backbench bill designed to wipe out the criminal records of thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of sexual offences that are no longer crimes, falls at its first parliamentary hurdle.

The Sexual Offences Pardons Bill, which was proposed by the SNP's John Nicolson, has no chance of becoming law after efforts to force a vote on it in the Commons failed.

Earlier this week ministers announced plans for thousands of gay and bisexual men to be posthumously pardoned. But Mr Nicholson wanted to change the law to give a pardon to the living as well.