UK: Gay Tory group writes to 303 Tory MPs in plea to support same-sex marriage

The Conservative Party’s LGBT group has written to all 303 Tory MPs calling on them to support equal marriage rights for gay couples.

In the letter, LGBTory Chairman, Matthew Sephton, said the proposed legislation to equalise marriage is right for many reasons, including “religious freedom, the future of the Conservative Party and for 21st Century Britain”.

Over the past week, several Tory backbench MPs have incorrectly stated that equal marriage was never ever mentioned in the run up to the 2010 general election.

In a bid to quash the claims, LGBTory stated:

“The Conservatives had a Contract for Equalities in 2010 which was a specific set of pledges on equalities issues, with two pages dedicated to LGBT issues, one of which was to review civil partnerships and same-sex marriage laws.”

The issue of marriage equality has divided the Conservatives with as many as 130 Tory MPs saying they will vote against the bill or are uneasy about the government proposals.

Almost 60 Conservative, Labour and cross-bench MPs and peers have signed an open letter against marriage reform.

Earlier this month, several senior Tory politicians launched Freedom to Marry, a new equal marriage campaign group.

It has the support of London Mayor Boris Johnson and Education Secretary Michael Gove.

• Nov 29

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