On 24th and 25th April 2009 amid protests by organisations which promote LGBT rights, a conference was held at the Emmanuel Centre in London with the title “Sex and the City : Redeeming sex today”. The agenda included “Theraputic approaches to Same Sex Attraction” and the three invited speakers are all on record as promoting a ‘gay cure’. The conference flier shows that the event was co-sponsored by CARE and Anglican Mainstream. http://www.scribd.com/doc/82387909/Sex-And-The-City-Reedeming-sex-today-Conference-Flier?secret_password=42aa6ui9n9842hs9u3v

Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) is a registered charity. Its Educational Leadership Programme seeks to place interns with influential Christians in public life, to gain experience. Since the conference in April 2009, 20 MPs (two of whom are no longer in the House) have declared in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests that they accepted material support from CARE in the form of an intern paid for by the charity. The MPs represent all three major parties and include Tim Farron MP, now President of the Liberal Democrats, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP (Conservative), now Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a number of Labour MPs including David Lammy. http://www.scribd.com/doc/82380030/List-of-MPs-Who-Have-Received-an-Intern-From-CARE-Since-22-April-2009?secret_password=24crch87sh67fhrvh30j

There is absolutely no suggestion that any of these MPs have breached parliamentary rules or regulations. Each of them has declared receipt of material support from CARE in the form of an intern paid for by the charity under its Educational Leadership Programme. Nor is there any suggestion that any of these MPs condone the views or activities of CARE or the content of the conference that it co-sponsored.

However, we are concerned that an organisation that has apparently co-sponsored a ‘gay cure’ event is, under the current regulations, able to offer material support to MPs by funding interns to work within their offices.

We therefore petition the Speaker of the House of Commons to undertake a comprehensive review of existing procedures relating to the provision of material support to Members of Parliament in the form of internships, to ensure they are fit for purpose.

The list below sets out those MP's who have declared that they have received material support in the form of an intern paid for by CARE since 22/04/09:

Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP, Berwick-Upon-Tweed (LibDem)

David Burrowes MP, Enfield Southgate (Con)

Paul Burstow MP, Sutton and Cheam (LibDem)

Alistair Burt MP, North East Bedfordshire (Con)

Stephen Crabb MP, Preseli Pembrokeshire (Con)

Former MP David Drew, Stroud (Lab)

Tim Farron MP, Westmorland and Lonsdale (LibDem)

John Glen MP, Salisbury (Con)

Sharon Hodgson MP, Washington an Sunderland West (Lab)

Elizabeth Kendall MP, Leicester West (Lab)

David Lammy MP, Tottenham (Lab)

Catherine McKinnell MP, Newcastle Upon Tyne North (Lab)

Stephen O’Brien MP, Eddisbury (Con)

James Paice, South East Cambridgeshire (Con)

Ex MP Andrew Reed, Loughborough (Lab)

Andrew Selous MP, South West Bedfordshire (Con)

Caroline Spelman MP, Meriden (Con)

Gary Streeter MP, South West Devon (Con)

Desmond Swayne MP, New Forest West (Con)

Steve Webb MP, Northavon (LibDem)