Lib Dem Pledge to Pardon Homosexual Crimes before elections

Its after a campaign that was spurred on by the Oscar winning Imitation game about Alan Turing played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Alan Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality along with 49,000 before it was decriminalised in 1967. The Queen pardoned Mr Turing in December 2013.

Around 49,000 other men were convicted of gay sex with people over the age of 16 before the law was repealed.

Simon Hughes was speaking at National Student Pride in central London.

The National Student Pride panel debate, chaired by gay BBC Newsnight anchor Evan Davis, saw representatives from the other major political parties compete for the LGBTI student vote.

UKIP were invited but snubbed the chance and did not send a representative.

The Green party were overwhelmingly popular in the audience and Evan Davis noted even Labour supporter and columnist Owen Jones seemed to agree more with the Greens. The Greens key pledge was to scrap tutition fees,

Gay Labour Lord Michael Cashman and Stonewall co-founder, called on people to fight for the future of the National Health Service.

Gay Conservative MP Mike Freer told the students: ‘The most important thing, whether you or gay or straight, is the economy. This government has delivered and will continue to deliver.’

A show of hands at the end of the discussion indicated most students will vote Labour or Green – and crucially none will back UKIP which received a round of applause.

The 10th Student Pride also registered hundreds of students in their #VotePride voter registration campaign.

Photo by Beth Hill