I disagree
i lived in Manchester from 1958 until 1991 and never heard the word used once to describe a homosexual. I had two friends at school who were homosexual and they never used the term.
Just to check for myself I looked up the term on Wiki where it states it’s been in use in North America since 1917 but only recently used in Britain due to media crossover. It goes on to list the usual terms used, which I certainly remembered, and also the meaning of the words fag (cigarettes/public school gofers) and faggot (food).