Hate crimes recorded against LGBT people have soared by more than 40% in just a year, figures show.
Labour last night accused the Tories of going “soft on crime” amid warnings they are not doing enough to tackle the problem.
The number of hate crimes based on sexual orientation rose to 26,152 in the 12 months to last March, up from 18,596 in the year before.
Those involving trans people increased from 2,799 to 4,355 over the same period.
The total number of anti-LGBT hate crimes recorded last year was more than six times higher than a decade ago.
A hate crime is defined as “any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic”.
Labour’s shadow equalities minister Anneliese Dodds said: ‘The Conservatives are soft on crime.
“The first job of a government is to keep its people safe. As we mark LGBT+ History Month we are seeing the scale of the shocking failures to do so.
“The Conservatives refuse to treat hate crimes against LGBT+ people and disabled people with the same seriousness as racist hate crime.
“Where the Conservatives have failed, Labour will get on and deliver, by equalising hate crime laws to ensure that perpetrators cannot avoid tougher sentences.
“And our fully funded plan to recruit 13,000 more neighbourhood police and community support officers would increase safety for everyone.”
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