Grant a pardon to Alan Turing

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

Alan Turing was a truly exceptional individual. The contribution he made to science, particularly to the development of computing, and the work he did at Bletchley Park during the Second World War make him worthy of our admiration. The fate he suffered – convicted of gross indecency as a result of a consensual homosexual relationship – was a sad indictment of the attitudes prevailing at that time. Lord Sharkey introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the House of Lords on 25th July which would grant a statutory pardon to Dr Turing, and the Government will consider its response to this Bill in due course.

This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.