Labour's three-le whip on gay marriage is illiberal | The Spectator

Contents:

• GAY MARRIAGE BILL SURVIV AFTER ED MILIBAND VOT AGAST AMENDMENT
• ED MILIBAND LLS FOR GAY MARRIAGE EQUALY
• CLEGG AND MILIBAND SAY VOTERS WOULD ACCEPT A GAY PM
• WH ED MILIBAND AS LABOUR LEAR, TWO MAJOR PARTI ARE LED BY GAY MARRIAGE ADVOT
• ED MILIBAND TO PARDON 49,000 MEN NVICTED FOR BEG GAY
• WATCH: LABOUR LEAR ED MILIBAND CRIED AT GAY MOVIE
• ED MILIBAND: GAY MARRIAG SHOULD BE ALLOWED CHURCH
• ED MILIBAND CLAR: I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE AT ‘GAY PRI’
• LABOUR’S THREE-LE WHIP ON GAY MARRIAGE IS ILLIBERAL
• LABOUR SAV DAVID CAMERON'S GAY MARRIAGE BILL
• ED MILIBAND VOWS LABOUR WOULD BRG 'TURG'S LAW' PARDONG PROSECUTED GAY MEN
• ED MILIBAND VOWS LABOUR WOULD BRG 'TURG'S LAW' PARDONG PROSECUTED GAY MEN

GAY MARRIAGE BILL SURVIV AFTER ED MILIBAND VOT AGAST AMENDMENT

The gay marriage bill has been saved after Ed Miliband agreed at the last mute to vote agast an amendment to extend civil partnerships to heterosexual upl that had prompted ernment warngs that would rail the entire Labour lear, who had planned to absta a Commons vote on the amendment, agreed to change tack after the ernment chief whip Sir Gee Young sent a msage to his opposn unterparts that the Tory learship was facg move meant that the amendment, tabled by the anti-gay marriage Tory, former children's mister Tim Loughton, was feated by 375 to 70 vot, a majory of cisn by the Labour learship, which has gone om supportg the amendment on civil partnerships to rejectg wh the space of 24 hours, means that the marriage (same-sex upl) bill will now experience a safer journey through ernment had warned earlier the day that the Loughton amendment would have threatened the entire bill by addg £4bn to the sts and layg s implementatn. But the prime mister voted ernment time to the gay marriage legislatn the belief that would help reach out to centre ground voters who may feel unfortable about supportg a party whose lear voted favour of the retentn of sectn 28 as recently as ten years divisns among Tori was highlighted when Sir Gerald Howarth, knighted on the advice of the prime mister last year when he sacked him as a fence mister, warned of an "aggrsive homosexual muny" durg a clash wh a member of Cameron's policy board. Howarth ma the remarks when Margot Jam, a fellow Tory MP who is a civil partnership and who was recently appoted to the new Conservative policy board, said that the equal marriage legislatn would level the playg field after gay people suffered discrimatn the 1980s.

ED MILIBAND LLS FOR GAY MARRIAGE EQUALY

I believe that the pendulum is now swgg so far the other way and there are plenty the aggrsive homosexual muny who see this as but a steppg stone to somethg even further.

Ed Miliband giv his support to gay relig marriage. Out4MarriageChurch and other relig stutns should be ee to stage same-sex weddgs, Ed Miliband has said as he pledged "wholehearted" Labour backg for Labour lear vowed to ph the ernment to get on wh the procs of legislatg for gay marriage as he add his voice to the Out4Marriage mpaign a vio released on sourc have said is highly likely the party will impose a three-le whip to stct s MPs to back gay marriage legislatn, ntrast wh David Cameron, who has promised a ee vote bee of divisns among his MPs. Liberal Democrats are expected to be whipped to vote favour of the troductn of gay marriage, which is party ernment began a formal nsultatn on civil marriage for same-sex upl England and Wal earlier this year wh legislatn promised by Cameron before the next general electn the vio, Miliband went further than misters by sayg that fah groups ready to host gay weddg servic should be able to do so.

CLEGG AND MILIBAND SAY VOTERS WOULD ACCEPT A GAY PM

"We will be phg the ernment to get on wh the procs for legislatg for equal marriage, and we'll also be sayg to them, where fah groups want to provi that opportuny for gay upl as well as straight upl, they should be able to do so. "We've e a long way on gay and lbian rights the last two s – civil partnerships, age of nsent, a range of other thgs – but I know there's further to go. "There are many gay upl of fah and there are many fah groups that embrace gay people and so 's only right for fah groups that wish to nduct same-sex marriag to be allowed to do so unr law, " he said.

"We need full marriage equaly, not a half-step that ntu to ny gay upl to right to marry church, synagogu and meetg ho that are happy to acmodate them. Image source, AFP/GettyImage ptn, Attus have changed dramatilly past s, Labour lear Ed Miliband told Gay TimA gay prime mister would be accepted by voters, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband have said. Both he and Labour lear Mr Miliband were rpondg to qutns om rears of Gay Tim an open letter to the same publitn, Prime Mister David Cameron said more gay role mols were need the world of sport.

WH ED MILIBAND AS LABOUR LEAR, TWO MAJOR PARTI ARE LED BY GAY MARRIAGE ADVOT

Asked if the public was ready for a prime mister who was openly gay, Mr Clegg replied: "Y and why not?

ED MILIBAND TO PARDON 49,000 MEN NVICTED FOR BEG GAY

"Beg gay don't affect how you work, how you teract wh people or how you make cisns. " Image source, RtersImage ptn, The three policians have been givg their views to Gay Tim magazeMr Miliband agreed, sayg he uld see there beg a gay prime mister the UK the future bee of the way attus have evolved, brgg a seri of chang cludg same-sex marriage. He told Gay Tim: "I thk the world has changed a lot.

"If you thk about the way the world has changed the last 20 years sce I was at llege, we've seen the repeal of Sectn 28, we've seen civil partnerships, the lowerg of the age of nsent, equal marriage - and that has been driven by change social attus, and that is why I thk absolutely 's foreeable to have a gay prime mister.

"Both policians are fathers to sons and said they would have no problem if one of them said he was gay. "The most important thg to me is that my kids are happy and I don't re whether they're gay or straight.

WATCH: LABOUR LEAR ED MILIBAND CRIED AT GAY MOVIE

"Image source, Getty AllsportImage ptn, Former Wal gby pta Gareth Thomas was praised by David CameronMr Cameron ed his open letter to say he was proud to lead a untry judged the "bt place to live Europe if you are lbian, gay, bisexual or trans(genr).

"But we need more role mols, straight and gay, to enurage the bt behavur and clubs mt tackle problems on the terrac. "UKIP lear Nigel Farage also ntributed to the magaze and was asked if his party would pledge to expel members who were homophobic.

He replied that UKIP was not "the thought police", sayg: "It would sound great to say, 'y, we would expel anybody who was a homophobe', but how would that be judged, or vtigated or enforced? Dpe the support om four leadg lbian and gay MPs an open letter to durg the pollg perd, David Miliband secured the support of jt 31 per cent of LGBT party members. Gay rights rerd.

ED MILIBAND: GAY MARRIAG SHOULD BE ALLOWED CHURCH

He add: “I know that civil partnerships were a major step forward, but I also hear those who want the genue equaly of gay marriage. I want to see heterosexual and same-sex partnerships put on an equal basis and a Labour Party that I lead will mpaign to make gay marriage happen. Mr Miliband also ed the edorial to ll for an end to the ban on gay men donatg blood, an end to LGBT asylum seekers beg sent back to untri that persecute LGBT people and for stronger laws agast cg homophobic hatred.

There are enough Conservative MPs that if given the opportuny to vote on the issue would support marriage equaly and the end of the ban on gay men donatg blood (the Government already supports chang to asylum policy). Miliband to pardon 49, 000 men nvicted for beg gay after mpaign backed by Imatn Game star Benedict Cumberbatch Relativ of gay WW2 breaker Alan Turg petned Downg StreetTurg was prosecuted for beg gay but he was pardoned 2013Benedict Cumberbatch played Turg the film The Imatn GameSome 49, 000 men were nvicted of 'gross cency' unr anti-gay lawsMiliband vowed to troduce a 'Turg's Law' pardong gay prosecutns Published: 12:41 BST, 3 March 2015 | Updated: 01:25 BST, 4 March 2015.

ED MILIBAND CLAR: I WAS PRIVILEGED TO BE AT ‘GAY PRI’

Ed Miliband has vowed to adopt a ‘Turg’s law’ to allow the pardong of tens of thoands of men nvicted of gay sex when was Turg, the Send World War breaker, was nvicted of homosexual activy 1952 but given a posthumo royal pardon 15 months then his relativ have mpaigned for the 49, 000 men nvicted unr gross cency laws to be siarly down for vioLabour lear Ed Miliband has vowed to troduce a new 'Turg's Law' pardong men nvicted of historic gay sex 'offenc' like the World War Two hero Alan TurgUnr a law passed by the aln ernment, anyone still alive who has a nvictn or utn for nsensual gay sex n apply to the Home Office to have the offenc removed om their Miliband has said he will extend this to the fai and iends of gay men who received nvictns their lifetime but died before they uld apply to have the rerds Labour lear told Gay Tim that, if elected Prime Mister May, he would make the matter a mpaign to parn gay men nvicted of 'gross cency' has been backed by celebri cludg Hollywood star Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Mr Turg the Osr-wng drama The Imatn GameHe said: ‘I thk ’s worth sayg that we do want to extend the prcipl beg applied to Alan Turg and his fay, to be able to say to others who were nvicted of a crimal offence simply bee of the person that they loved – whether they are alive or no longer alive – that we n get a pardon for them.

LABOUR’S THREE-LE WHIP ON GAY MARRIAGE IS ILLIBERAL

I thk we owe to the LGBT [Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr] muny to make this move. Last week relativ of the mathematician and breaker livered a petn to Downg Street llg for all those nvicted unr anti-gay laws to be pardoned.

But 1952 he was nvicted for homosexual activy, which was illegal at the time, after havg an affair wh a 19-year-old man unrwent ‘chemil stratn’ as part of his sentence and his nvictn led to the removal of his secury clearance and meant he was no longer able to work for died two years later, aged 41, havg apparently mted suici by eatg an apple laced wh cyani. 10:30, Thu, Apr 2, 2015 | UPDATED: 09:48, Fri, Apr 24, 2015 PAEd Miliband admted he sobbed over Brish film PriSo, a bid to show his human si to the electorate ahead of next month's electn, Ed Miliband has revealed he recently shed a rather than a personal mise or a global tragedy, the Labour lear's weakns was a film about the gay muny helpg strikg mers, which saw him sobbg on his wife's asked if he had ever cried over a film, Red Ed said: "Have you seen Pri?

LABOUR SAV DAVID CAMERON'S GAY MARRIAGE BILL

It's about the lbian and gay muni London and they go and help the mers Wal. Labour lear Ed Miliband adds his support to the Out4Marriage mpaign to troduce equal marriage rights for gay upl the UK, sayg that Labour believ church should be given the right to hold same-sex weddgs – somethg which the ernment is not currently proposg. I thk whether you are gay or straight, you should be able to signify your mment, your love wh the term ‘marriage’, and so the Labour Party provis s whole hearted support for this mpaign.

We will be phg the ernment to get on wh the procs for legislatg for equal marriage, and we’ll also be sayg to them, where fah groups want to provi that opportuny for gay upl as well as straight upl, they should be able to do so. This is a very, very important mpaign, we’ve e a long way on gay and lbian rights the last two s: civil partnerships, age of nsent, a range of other thgs.

Commentg on the Labour lear’s terventn, Benjam Cohen of the Out4Marriage mpaign said: “We’re lighted to wele Ed Miliband to the Out4Marriage mpaign and particular we wele Mr Miliband’s mment that the Labour party will fight for gay upl to have the right to marry church, synagogu and other relig stutns. Mr Cohen add: “There are many gay people of fah and there are many fah groups that embrace gay people, ’s only right for fah groups that wish to nduct same-sex marriag to be allowed to do so unr law. At the Labour party nference on Tuday, Mr Miliband said he was “privileged” to have been at Manchter’s gay pri march and he said Labour should be “proud” of s Civil Partnership Act.

ED MILIBAND VOWS LABOUR WOULD BRG 'TURG'S LAW' PARDONG PROSECUTED GAY MEN

Ed Miliband tells the Eveng Standard today that Labour will give ‘wholehearted’ backg to gay marriage and says that church and relig bodi should be allowed to nduct the ceremoni. At the same Labour has let be known to the Standard that the party is ‘highly likely’ to impose a three-le whip on the gay marriage bill, though n’t say so for certa until knows the wordg.

As Mr Miliband says, ‘I thk whether you’re gay or straight, you should be able to signify your mment, your love, wh the term “marriage”’. But to sist that the term marriage should be equally accsible to gay and straight upl don’t que do jtice to the baggage that the stutn brgs wh : a pragmatic associatn wh creatg and raisg children, which gay upl n only do by artificial means, and a basic foundatn the plementary of the sex.

ED MILIBAND VOWS LABOUR WOULD BRG 'TURG'S LAW' PARDONG PROSECUTED GAY MEN

Treatg this as a matter for a three le whip would be, for Labour, to ri roughshod over the nscienc of s MPs a particularly btal way, even if were to give them the sop of votg on the qutn of church ceremoni for gay upl as a matter of nscience. For at least some of the Catholic parliamentarians such as Jim Dobb, this would be a ght issue – though other Catholics, such as Patrick McLoughl on the ernment si, are willg to vote for gay marriag so long as the church are left out of . To treat otherwise loyal MPs as rebels for votg agast gay marriage, que possibly acrdance wh their nstuents’ views, strik me as really illiberal.