Sir Keir Starmer’s government has begun using LGBT+ instead of LGBT across all departments, the Express understands.

Ministers are said to have approved the change in acronym following the general election.

In response to a written answer, Lord Collins of Highbury said “yes” when asked whether the decision had come from ministers.

He added: “The Government uses the term LGBT+ to reflect the breadth and diversity of the community as well as the preferences of most LGBT+ people. This term also resonates with language used by international partners and institutions. Whilst this is the Government’s standard terminology, there may be occasions where it is appropriate to utilise variations that reflect a narrower or wider focus.”

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) under the Tories had already been using LGBT+ but this was not true for all departments.

LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender while the plus represents all other sexual identities including pansexual, asexual and omnisexual – amongst many others.

Meanwhile last month transgender and non-binary categories were added to official documents for reporting the death of a child.

The Department of Health and Social Care has this month updated the forms that must be submitted following the tragic loss of a young person.

The paperwork asks: ‘Which gender did the child identify as at the time of death?’

It includes the categories ‘male (including trans male)’, ‘female (including trans female)’ and ‘non-binary’.

As recently as July the form simply listed ‘male’, ‘female’, ‘other’ and ‘unknown’ under the ‘sex’ category.