Petition fights ‘hostile strike’ on marriage

Christian groups backed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey said they were sending 175,000 emails out this week inviting people to sign a petition opposing the introduction of same-sex marriage.

The group Coalition for Marriage (C4M) has said the Government has no democratic mandate to introduce the legislation and has betrayed a promise made by the last Labour administration to maintain a distinction between civil partnerships and marriage.

Lord Carey described plans to introduce same-sex marriage as a “hostile strike” and an act of “cultural and theological vandalism” against an institution dating back thousands of years.

A public consultation on how to make civil marriage available to same-sex couples is to be launched next month.