Ann Widdecombe: ‘Gay-cake ruling was a legal nonsense’

Former Tory Minister Ann Widdecombe has spoken out in support of Ashers Baking Company, after last month’s disappointing ruling on the so-called ‘gay cake case’.

Writing in her regular column for The Daily Express, Widdecombe said the ruling against the McArthur family, who own Ashers, was a “legal nonsense”.

She said that the family would have provided another cake for customer Gareth Lee but they could not aid the promotion of his campaign in favour of same-sex marriage.

Widdecombe wrote: “A litmus test for democracy is the ability of an individual to reject state orthodoxy and exercise freedom of conscience. Britain now comprehensively fails that test.

“Furthermore, forcing citizens to affirm that which they do not believe – as is the case here – is the mark of totalitarianism itself.”

The former Home Office Minister went on to describe a conversation she had with a politician from Gibraltar, which is about to vote on bringing in same-sex marriage.

Referring to the Ashers case, he told her that he supports gay marriage but said Gibraltar must not become like the UK which “upset diversity” when it was brought in.

Ann Widdecombe is just one of many commentators, from across the political and social divide, who see the injustice in what has happened to the McArthur family.

Newspapers as diverse as The Telegraph and The Guardian have issued editorials in support of Ashers.