AN East Lancashire MP has called on the government not to miss the opportunity to highlight lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Commonwealth countries.

Nigel Evans, who represents the Ribble Valley, said that the upcoming meeting which starts on Friday, November 15, was a ‘vital opportunity’ that ‘must not be missed’.

Speaking at a Westminster Hall debate on Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Wednesday, Mr Evans said that parts of the Commonwealth are failing to address the lack of rights given to the LGBT community.

He said: “Within the Commonwealth, 40 countries still criminalise aspects of LGBT life.

“Of those 40 countries, 14 are in Africa, eight in Asia, seven in Oceania and 11 in the Americas.

“One of them is Pakistan, where consensual same-sex relations carry a maximum penalty of death. Just think of that for a second: death. Alongside that, Bangladesh, Barbados, Guyana, Singapore and Uganda all have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relations.

“Our government must not miss this vital opportunity to speak up for a group of people who are denied their human rights by their government.”