The Prime Minister has said he will end the "abhorrent" practice of gay conversion therapy and added he was sorry that three of the Government's LGBTQ advisers had resigned.

Boris Johnson made the remarks to reporters during a visit to Queen's University Belfast:

 "I think this practice is repulsive and I think it's abhorrent, and I'm sorry these advisers have gone, but be in no doubt that we will deal with this issue. It is technically complex to deal with but we're determined to take further steps to stamp it out."

It's a move that will be welcomed by campaigners opposed to the practice and comes just days after the resignation of three of the Government's LGBTQ advisers.

One of those to resign was Christian campaigner Jayne Ozanne. She blamed Boris Johnson's administration for creating a "hostile environment" for LGBTQ people.

Ozanne explained to Premier Christian News that she had been thinking about quitting for some time, but the final straw was a speech from equalities minister Kemi Badenoch during a parliament debate on a conversion therapy ban.

"Her speech was so cold, clinical, and frankly, lacking in any sense of detail," Ozanne said.

"She did not give us any reassurances at all about the need to protect our trans colleagues, who are twice as likely to go through conversion therapy than anyone else. It didn't talk about protections for adults, it didn't talk, really in my mind, about protections for those of us in religious settings. She only use the word 'ban' once and that was actually as a passing phrase."

Conversion therapy refers to any practice that seeks to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Many Christians oppose a ban because they say there are people who want, and ask for, prayer to change their sexual orientation. The government has been warned that any ban needs a clear definition so it does not include a ban on prayer, pastoral support or talking about what many Christians see as living by the Bible. 

Core Issues Trust, a Christian charity supporting those who voluntarily seek a change in sexual preference, had urged the Government to ensure conversion therapy was done safely rather than banning the practice altogether.