Tory MPs fail in attempt to wreck gay marriage Bill

From left: Geoffrey Vero, Bob Willard, Dillis Miles and Ed Costello, part of a group of more than 30 local Conservative Party members calling on David Cameron to abandon attempts to redefine marriage

With the Prime Minister facing the prospect of yet another bruising night in Parliament after opponents of gay marriage from within his party tabled a series of amendments likely to delay the legislation, if not scupper it altogether, Mr Cameron was rescued by Labour’s 11th-hour move to table a rival measure for MPs to support instead.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said she was “more than happy” to back the Labour proposal for an immediate consultation on extending civil partnerships to heterosexual couples. The measure was designed to defuse backbencher Tim Loughton’s demands for straight couples to be given such equality immediately, as part of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.

Ms Miller had warned extending the right to a civil partnership to heterosexual couples may come with a hefty price tag and would require lengthy deliberation in Whitehall - potentially causing huge delays to the legislation.

“Using this Bill as a vehicle for extending civil partnerships risks the progress of the Bill,” she told MPs. “Gay people have waited long enough.”

Mr Loughton, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, was widely suspected of using his amendment to try to wreck the Bill’s progress - an accusation he repeatedly denied in the Commons.

He accused Ministers of a “grubby deal” which “kicked this issue into the long grass.”

He was supported by Leeds North West’s Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland, who said he wanted to see “equal rights for all”.

But MPs voted 375 - 70 against Mr Loughton’s amendment after nearly six hours of impassioned debate. The 11th-hour deal clears the way for the Bill to proceed towards the House of Lords, where it is expected to meet further resistance.

A series of other Tory amendments – including one allowing registrars to “opt out” from marrying gay people – won support from a hardcore of around 150 MPs in the free votes, but were all defeated by a sizeable majority.

A vote was avoided on another, which would have allowed teachers and schools to opt out of teaching children about gay marriage on religious grounds, after Culture Minister Hugh Robertson said he was prepared to review the situation, and may amend the Bill if necessary in the Lords.