The boss of Barnardo’s – the UK’s largest children’s charity – has voiced her support for plans to redefine marriage.
Anne Marie Carrie says marriage doesn’t matter when raising children, and that any combination of two loving adults will do.
She is “incensed” by people who say marriage between a man and a woman is the best environment for raising children.
Best
But the comments put her at odds with a wealth of data showing children do best when raised by their married, biological parents.
The Westminster Government proposes to redefine marriage in England and Wales before 2015.
The Church of England says the plans will change the meaning of marriage for everyone, and plunge churches into legal chaos.
Crisis
The Church warned David Cameron that the issue could undermine the links between church and state, sparking a constitutional crisis.
A UK-wide petition in support of keeping marriage as it is, has been signed by almost 600,000 people, making it the largest petition this Parliament.
The Home Office’s public consultation on the plans closed last week, and is thought to have attracted more than 100,000 submissions.
Scotland
In Scotland, a similar consultation closed in December and the Scottish Government is expected to announce the results very soon.
According to press reports, up to 70,000 submissions were sent in with about 50,000 against the proposal to redefine marriage.
It is the largest ever response to a Scottish consultation since devolution, and it dwarfed the response to the consultation on an independence referendum.