Nick Clegg Criticises Tory Gay Marriage Free Vote

Nick Clegg has criticised the Tory party’s decision to allow its MPs a free vote on the issue of gay marriage.

While Nick Clegg and David Cameron are both supporters of gay marriage there is opposition to it within the Tory party – quite vocal opposition from right wing of the party. It was recently announced that Tory MPs would have a free vote on the issue meaning they would not have to tow the party line and instead can vote on their own personal opinions. That decision has been criticised by Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, in yet another sign of divisions within the coalition government.

“In the same way the civil partnerships legislation which was introduced under Labour was a whipped vote, I personally don’t think this is something which should be subject to a great free for all because we are not asking people to make a decision of conscience.” – Nick Clegg speaking on BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show

Clegg has previously promised his Liberal Democrat party that same-sex marriages would be legalised in England and Wales ‘by 2015’. The legalisation of gay marriage has wide-spread support within the Liberal Democrat party but the opposition to it from within the Tory party has sparked fears that Cameron will abandon his pledge on marriage equality to appease the hard-liners within the party.

While Owen Paterson, Phillip Hammond and Tim Loughton have all stated their opposition to gay marriage others within the Tory party have voiced their public support. Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory leader and opponent of LGBT rights in the past, has stated he is supportive of gay marriage while earlier this week Home Secretary Theresa May recorded a video message for the Out4Marriage campaign.

[Written by Martha Kirkpatrick, LGBT editor]