Gay dads speak out after minister rules against immediate surrogacy law reform

Gay fathers Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett have spoken out after a failed but persistent attempt to change surrogacy law in the UK.

When the couple welcomed their daughter Leven via surrogacy in the US, they returned to Britain to discover that UK law did not automatically recognise them as their daughter’s legal parents.

They then entered a lengthy parental order process involving courts and social worker assessments. By sharing their struggles online, they sparked a petition calling for intended parents to be recognised from birth.

Surrogacy law reform debated in UK parliament

The petition saw 100,000 signatures in just days, securing consideration for a parliamentary debate on surrogacy law reform.

Ministers hosted a parliamentary debate on surrogacy on 7 September 2026, with the public health and patient safety minister, Diana Johnson, saying the Government would not introduce immediate changes to surrogacy law.

She said the Government would consider options for future reform, but any changes would need to “protect the welfare of children and safeguard those involved in surrogacy arrangements, as well as to maintain public trust”.

Adam Frisby and Jamie Corbett express their disappointment

Following the debate, Frisby and Corbett took to social media to share their disappointment. The couple said they entered Parliament feeling hopeful after the petition was welcomed by so many signatures.

They stressed that their campaign was about legal recognition from birth, with appropriate protections for intended parents, children and surrogates – not about removing protections for women – and felt as though the debate focused on whether surrogacy should exist at all.

“Families like ours were reduced to statements like ‘wealthy men exploiting women.’ Claims were made about surrogates regretting their decisions, which when challenged had not one scrap of research or evidence,” said Frisby.

“I was genuinely shocked” – Frisby on an MP talking about “traditional, stable family structures”

“Earlier this week an MP told us he believed in ‘traditional, stable family structures’ involving biological mothers. I was genuinely shocked to hear that from an MP in 2026, after today. Maybe I shouldn’t have been,” the fashion mogul continued.

They stressed that Leven is their daughter and they are her dads, saying they never asked anyone to approve of how their family was created, and reiterated their central message: “Protect surrogates. Protect children. Protect intended parents.”

The experience left them “very deflated”, and they said they cried after returning to the hotel and collecting Leven.

They have decided to end their campaign for now: “Not because we don’t care. My God do we care,” said Frisby. “We gave it everything.”