Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, says there is no need for a new law.
Baroness Scotland, the Attorney General, says the current law is sufficient to deal with 'homophobic hatred' and there is no need for a new offence, reports The Times.
This places her in opposition to Jack Straw, the Minister for Justice, who introduced the law as part of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill.
Although The Times claims this split could "scupper" the plans, there is currently is no indication that the Government is going to drop its proposals. It does, however, reveal significant division within the Government over the necessity of such a law.
The Times reports: "Baroness Scotland, who is also determined to crack down on the problem of homophobic behaviour, believes that there are sufficient laws on the statute book to deal with the issue.
"She also has concerns about the difficulties of getting the proposal through the House of Lords, which gave a rough ride to measures on incitement to religious hatred and substantially watered them down.
"She is understood to have told colleagues that she wants to see more successful prosecutions in this area, but is unconvinced that a new law is the way to do it and would prefer to focus on existing procedures."
The law has been widely opposed by prominent homosexuals, comedians and other public figures because of the threat to free speech. The Times also quoted Colin Hart, Director of the Christian Institute:
"In a democratic society people must be free to express their beliefs without fear of censure from the state. A homophobic hatred law would be used by those with an axe to grind against Christians to silence them."
