Religious hatred Bill thrown out by peers

Peers have inflicted a heavy defeat on government plans to create a new offence of inciting religious hatred, despite strong hints of a climbdown from the Home Office.

They voted by more than two to one to back opposition to attempts to redraw the plans, amid claims that it was a bad law that would stifle freedom of speech.

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Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers joined crossbenchers and Labour rebels to vote against the Government, despite a clear suggestion that the Home Office was planning a compromise.

Peers voted to water down the Bill, removing plans for an offence of using abusive or offensive language about religion, but left intact proposals to outlaw threatening behaviour.

They also backed moves promoted by the Conservative Lord Hunt of Wirral, the Liberal Democrat Lord Lester of Herne Hill, Labour's Lord Plant of Highfield and the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey of Clifton to strengthen freedom of speech by inserting safeguards into the Bill.

The peers warned that the Bill would force journalists, artists and comedians to censor themselves to avoid offending members of minority religions.