A partial lifting on gay men giving blood has been met with criticism.

A lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood came into place in the 1980s to prevent the risk of HIV contamination, but ministers have now agreed to lift the ban.

Gay rights campaigners in Surrey said the changes did not go far enough and continued to discriminate against the gay community.

A restriction will remain in place preventing men who have had oral or anal sex with another man in the past 12 months, even with a condom, would be asked not to donate.

Runnymede and Weybridge parliamentary spokesman, Andrew Falconer, said the policy change effectively extended the ban.

He said: “There are many local gay and bisexual men living in monogamous partnerships who would willingly donate blood but, even with the changes, would remain unable to do so. “And yet their heterosexual male neighbours may have had unprotected liaisons with several women and yet still be an eligible donor. There is no logic to that.

“We know blood supplies always need replenishing. It is unfortunate that even with these new measures, so many willing donors remain ineligible.”

Gino Meriano, chairman of charity Gay Surrey and founder of Weybridge gay wedding company Pink Weddings, accepted it was progress.

He said: “I think small stepping stones will eventually lead to the full picture. It’s not a great solution, but it’s better than nothing.”

But, he said the stigma of HIV being a gay disease needed to be shaken.

The majority of people diagnosed with HIV in the UK in 2009 were heterosexual, at 54 per cent.

Of these heterosexual diagnoses, 68 per cent were black African.

Mr Meriano said: “It’s discrimination in its purest form. They’re saying you can give blood if you stop having sex, but what reaction would you get if you said that to opposite sex couples?

“If there is such a huge need for blood, why are we stopping millions of people coming forward to help, just because they are gay?”