The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, agrees with the Prime Minister’s controversial idea that Parliament should host homosexual civil partnership ceremonies.
It “isn’t really a question of how many people would benefit from it”, but the principles involved asserted John Bercow, a vocal supporter of ‘gay rights’.
Mr Bercow’s comments came in response to a request last month by the Prime Minister, who called for gay couples to be allowed to have civil partnership ceremonies inside Parliament.
Currently MPs, Lords and their families can get married and hold christenings in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft inside the Houses of Parliament.
But religious venues cannot be used for civil partnership registrations.
Mr Bercow said: “So far as civil partnerships are concerned, I feel very strongly that this is a matter of equity and justice.”
He added: “I see no reason why we should not be able to make comparable arrangements for civil partnerships”.
Mr Bercow is pursuing a license so that his official residence, Speaker’s House, can officially host civil partnership ceremonies.
Minister for Europe, Chris Bryant MP said last week he was hoping to be the first to stage a civil partnership ceremony within the Westminster Palace estate next March.
Reports say locations including Westminster Hall have been suggested as venues for civil ceremonies.
Should Westminster Hall be designated as a venue for civil ceremonies, members of the public would in theory have the right to use it for at least three years. However, legislation may be required to allow civil partnerships to take place within Parliament.
Last month Gordon Brown received praise from ‘gay rights’ groups for saying that Labour would “increase support for LGBT candidates” at the next general election.
Mr Bercow, a supporter of ‘gay rights’, actively backed the Government’s current attempt to remove a free speech safeguard from a sexual orientation ‘hate speech’ law.
The safeguard was passed last year by Parliament. It makes clear that criticising homosexual conduct is not, in itself, a crime.
In January he said the free speech amendment is “at best superfluous, and at worst deeply objectionable”.
As a backbench MP John Bercow also supported forcing faith-based adoption agencies to place children with same-sex couples contrary to their religious ethos.
Several Roman Catholic adoption agencies have either closed down or cut their ties with the Church because of new ‘gay rights’ laws.