World Cup: Ministers urged to warn LGBT+ fans about Qatar risks

The UK government has been urged change its Qatar travel advice to warn LGBT+ football fans about the risks of going to the World Cup.

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, where same-sex relationships can be punishable by the death sentence.

Andrew Boff, deputy chair of the London Assembly and a leading Conservative gay rights campaigner, said Qatar is not safe for LGBT+ people.

Qatar says all fans will be welcomed to the World Cup “without discrimination”.

Currently, the UK government’s World Cup travel advice contains no specific safety warning beyond stating the legal status of homosexuality in Qatar and the assurances given by its authorities.

“Obviously, when you go to a country, you respect their traditions,” said Mr Boff, who is a patron of the Conservative LGBT+ campaign group.

“But the mere fact that being gay, or lesbian, or trans is illegal in Qatar and will open you up for prosecution means it is not a safe place for LGBT+ people to travel to and the government advice should clearly say that.”

He said some in Qatar clearly have a “medieval attitude to human rights” given comments made by a Qatar World Cup ambassador, who called homosexuality “damage in the mind”.

Mr Boff joins a growing list of UK politicians express concerns about Qatar’s treatment of LGBT+ people, with Labour’s Luke Pollard telling MPs this week that the Gulf state was “not safe for someone like me”.

Some have boycotted the tournament, while others – such as Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford – have been criticised for saying they would attend to challenge Qatar’s record on human rights.

The Conservative UK government and its MPs also have come under scrutiny for their relations with Qatar.

Among them are Nigel Evans, deputy speaker of the Commons, and former Scotland Secretary David Mundell, both of whom are patrons of LGBT+ Conservatives and members of the Qatar all-party parliamentary group.

Parliamentary records show they have both accepted hospitality from Qatar, with £7,473 spent on Mr Mundell for a trip last October, and £5,400 spent on Mr Evans for a vist in March this year.

Neither man responded to requests for comment.

The BBC requested interviews with the chairwoman and all 22 patrons of LGBT+ Conservatives, including three peers and 13 MPs.

All apart from three either did not reply or declined to comment on the World Cup in Qatar.

Paul O’Kane, a Labour member of the Scottish Parliament, said “we’re potentially putting people in danger by allowing them to go” to Qatar, which should never have been allowed to host the World Cup.

“The government has to be upfront with LGBT+ people in terms of the risks of going to Qatar,” Mr O’Kane said.

The BBC has asked the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), which issues travel advice, if the government planned to change its guidance.

A spokesperson referred to comments by foreign minister David Rutley, who said ministers and officials had “raised the concerns of LGBT+ visitors with Qatari authorities at all levels”.

Mr Rutley said Qatar had “repeatedly committed that everybody is welcome to the tournament” and the UK government would hold the country to that promise.

Jamie Greene said as a member of the Scottish Parliament, it was not his place to comment on travel advice issued by the UK government.

But the Tory MSP, who’s a patron of LGBT+ Conservatives, said the hosting of the World Cup there “does raise more than a few eyebrows” given Qatar’s treatment of LGBT+ people.

“If you can find a positive in any of this, it has certainly put the issue of equality, women’s rights and LGBT+ rights on the radar of the international stage,” Mr Greene said.

Sport minister Stuart Andrew said he sought assurances about LGBT+ safety in a meeting with Qatar’s ambassador to the UK, Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, this week.

In a tweet, he said he asked what the message “everyone is welcome” would mean in practice during the tournament and looked “forward to the authorities matching their commitments”.

Mr Andrew is waiting for Qatari authorities to give him more operational detail about the safety of LGBT+ people in the country.

The BBC understands the government is considering whether to send ministers to Qatar for the World Cup and a decision has not yet been made.

Labour has ruled out sending any of its frontbench shadow ministers in the UK Parliament to Qatar for the World Cup.

The BBC has contacted the Qatar Embassy in London and the country’s World Cup organising committee for comment.