David Cameron has confirmed that the Conservative Party’s plans to recognise marriage within the tax system would also apply to people in civil partnerships.
Mr Cameron made the statement during a speech at the left-leaning think-tank Demos.
He said: “We will recognise marriage, whether between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman or a man and a man, in the tax system — and yes, that is a commitment”.
This is the first time Mr Cameron has openly stated that he would extend the proposed tax reforms to those in civil partnerships.
During the speech Mr Cameron did not reveal any details on how the tax reforms would work.
However, last week it was revealed that the proposed tax reforms are likely to be scaled back and may initially be restricted to married couples with young children.
Mr Cameron has committed himself to bringing in the reforms during the next Parliament if the Conservatives win the upcoming General Election.
The current tax system penalises married couples meaning that many would be financially better off if they were to split up.
This is not the first time Mr Cameron has placed marriage on a par with civil partnerships.
During his first party conference as leader Mr Cameron explained his view of marriage saying that as far as he “was concerned it didn’t matter whether it was between a man and a woman, a man and a man or a woman and a woman”.
Last year it was revealed that reaching out to homosexuals was to become one of Mr Cameron’s top five priorities as part of a drive “to show that ‘new Toryism’ is still alive and kicking”.
In July Mr Cameron said his party was wrong to support Section 28 – a law banning local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools.
Speaking at a Conservative fundraiser to mark a gay pride event at the time, Mr Cameron told guests that his party’s attitudes towards ‘gay rights’ had changed.
In 2007 Mr Cameron voted for new gay rights laws that forced many Roman Catholic adoption groups to close or ditch their religious ethos as they were required to consider gay couples as potential adopters.