The private member`s bill would have pardoned all men living with UK convictions for same-sex offences committed before the law was changed.

There were emotional scenes with one MP fighting back tears during his speech.

The government, which has its own plans for posthumous pardons, "talked out" the bill, which will not now go ahead.

Minister Sam Gyimah spoke for 25 minutes, reaching the time limit allotted for the debate.

There were shouts of "shame" and "shameful" from angry MPs as the seconds ticked down and proceedings came to an end.

SNP MP John Nicolson said he had secured government support for his bill, which was withdrawn when the Ministry of Justice published its own commitment to a "Turing`s law" on Thursday.

During Friday`s debate Mr Nicolson accused the government of trying to "hijack" his plans.

The government`s rival measure, an amendment to the Policing and Crimes Bill announced on Thursday, would grant pardons for those convicted who have since died.

Ministers say those who are still alive can go through a "disregard process" to clear their names.

The government said it would not support Mr Nicolson`s Sexual Offences (Pardons) Bill - which proposes a blanket pardon for the living - because it could lead to some people being cleared of offences that are still crimes.

His bill would have "set aside" nearly 50,000 convictions, about 15,000 of which apply to men who are still alive today.

Mr Nicolson says he was motivated by his work as a BBC journalist in the 1990s: "I made a documentary in the 1990s looking at the discriminatory laws which criminalised gay men.

"There were some shocking injustices. Men were arrested aged 21 for having `under-age sex` with their 20-year-old boyfriends," he said.

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