New Justice Secretary David Lidington opposed gay rights and wanted to scrap Human Rights Act The hitherto overlooked MP David Lidington was handed one of the top jobs in Government by Theresa May on Sunday […]

The hitherto overlooked MP David Lidington was handed one of the top jobs in Government by Theresa May on Sunday afternoon when the Prime Minister appointed him Justice Secretary during her Cabinet reshuffle.

But a quick glance at Mr Lidington’s voting history in Parliament indicates that the new Justice Secretary may not have the interests of all Britons at heart.

Anti-gay rights

Mr Lidington has generally voted against gay rights since the Nineties, the parliamentary monitoring website They Work For You reveals.

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In 1998 Mr Lidington voted against reducing the age of consent for homosexual acts from 18 to 16 bringing equality to the the law surrounding heterosexual and homosexual sex acts.

Four years later he voted against an amendment to the Adoption and Children Bill which sought to allow same-sex couples to adopt children.

And the following year he opted to maintain a ban in schools on the “promotion” of homosexuality.

Opposes laws promoting human rights

In 2004, the MP did vote in favour of allowing mixed-sex marriages which become a same-sex marriage to remain valid as long as neither party objects.

But just four years ago, though, in May 2013, Mr Lidington voted against allowing same-sex couples to marry.

The new Justice Secretary has also generally voted against laws to promote equality and human rights, data published by They Work For You shows.

Who is David Lidington? Who: Mr Lidington, 60, has been the Conservative MP for Aylesbury since 1992. Education: He attended the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Elstree, Hertfordshire. Fees at the public school currently stand at £6,490 per term. He then attended Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he studied history. Political career: Mr Lidington was Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2003 to 2007 and Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He served as Minister of State at the Foreign Office from May 2010 until July 2016. And he was Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council from July 2016 until his new appointment was announced. His predecessor: was Liz Truss, who was demoted to chief treasury secretary to make way for Mr Lidington. The departure of the passionate pork markets advocate from the Ministry of Justice will be mourned by few – she’s been living on borrowed time since she failed to condemn a vitriolic attack by the Daily Mail on the three judges who ruled last November the Government would be obliged to seek MPs’ approval before triggering Article 50.

Prejudice and discrimination

In April 2013 Mr Lidington voted to remove the duty on the Commission for Equality and Human Rights to work to support the development of a society where people’s ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice or discrimination and there is respect for human rights.

On the same day he also voted against making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of caste.

And last year he voted in favour of repealing the Human Rights Act.

Ardently pro-fox hunting

Mr Lidington voted seven times between 2003 and 2004 against a ban on fox hunting.

While he has consistently voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits (34 times between 2014 and 2016), Mr Lidington is opposed to increasing the tax rate applied to income over £150,000, voting nine times against such a move between 2012 and 2015.

Will ‘robustly defend’ justice

Following his appointment as Justice Secretary, Mr Lidington said he was “pleased and honoured”.

In a statement he said: “Democracy and freedom are built on the rule of law, and are protected by a strong and independent judiciary.

“I look forward to taking my Oath as Lord Chancellor, and to working with the Lord Chief Justice and his fellow judges in the months ahead, to ensure that justice is fairly administered and robustly defended.”

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