THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg has said that same-sex marriage must “happen now” and insisted that opponents will not stop the Coalition changing the law.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that laws allowing homosexuals full marriage rights are inevitable, saying the current debate is about “when”, not “if” to make the change.
The Coalition is considering changing the law to allow couples of the same sex to marry in the same way as heterosexuals. The proposals have been opposed by many Conservative MPs and by the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.
Mr Clegg’s Liberal Democrats are enthusiastic supporters of the change, and the issue has sharpened tensions between the two Coalition parties.
The Deputy Prime Minister gave his support for same-sex marriage in an online video for the Out4Marriage campaign, which has recorded statements of support from several leading politicians.
“I’ve always been very clear on this: love is the same, straight or gay, so the civil institution should be the same too. All couples should be able to make that commitment to one another, regardless of who they love,” Mr Clegg said.
“I fought for equal marriage before I was in Government, and I’m even more committed to making it happen now – as a Liberal Democrat and as Deputy Prime Minister.”
He went on to suggest that opposition to the change will not stop the eventual introduction of same-sex marriage. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor | Wednesday, June 20, 2012
