Houses of Parliament. Photograh by Peter Broster
The House of Commons has voted to allow gay marriage in England and Wales, with 366 votes in favour and 161 in opposition. The proposals caused a rift within the Tory party, but were supported by the Labour and Lib Dem leaderships.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples), which if passed will allow same-sex couples to marry not just have civil ceremonies, will now go before the House of Lords on Wednesday.
Religious organisations would need to opt-in to offering the same-sex weddings, with the Church of England being banned from offering such ceremonies under law.
Off the 166 that opposed the bill, there were 133 Tories, 15 Labour MPs, eight Democratic Unionists, four Lib Dems, and an independent.
On the news of the passing of the bill in the Commons, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Let’s celebrate, not discriminate. Let’s put aside the anger and hear it for the joy”
There were protests held against the bill, with one woman detained by police after attempting to drive a car through the gates of the Palace of Westminster as the vote took place.
