Incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation will become a criminal offence after the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill has passed its final stages in the House of Lords.

The government accepted an amendment that will allow people to use a "free speech" defence in cases of incitement, reports pinknews.co.uk.

Peers in the House of Lords voted to retain an amendment that will mean some people of extreme views may attempt to avoid prosecution by citing a religious defence and MPs were forced to let it remain in the bill due to time constraints.

Stonewall, the largest lesbian, gay and bisexual organisation in the UK, welcomed the new law in a letter to supporters, calling it "another historic step towards legal equality."

However, Stonewall's chief executive Ben Summerskill said that the Lords debates were "distressing, and completely gratuitous, references to sodomy and young people during the debate.

"The tone and unpleasantness of the debates in recent weeks have been a very stark reminder of how many veteran opponents of equality there still are in both Houses of Parliament."

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