David Cameron re-affirms support for gay marriage

David Cameron has re-affirmed his support for gay marriage.

In an interview with the Evening Standard the Prime Minister has once again pledged his support for making gay marriages to become reality in the country. Cameron told the newspaper that he is ‘clear about my views’ adding ‘I ask myself the question, why is it that we deny gay couples the ability to get married, and I don’t think that’s right’

Cameron’s words on the issue of gay marriage comes after a report in the Mail on Sunday which claimed Tory Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin had been reassuring conservative MP’s that equal marriage plans would be ‘kicked into the long grass’ and the issue will ‘not come to a vote’.

While gay marriage plans have the support of David Cameron there are those within his party who are opposed to the idea. Some of those opposed to marriage equality have labelled the plans “lunacy”. In the interview with the Evening Standard the Prime Minister recognised gay marriage was a controversial issue but stated ‘I feel the time for change has come. If you ask, particularly young people, they say this feels like a very natural change to make….… We are not changing what happens in church.’

When asked if he was worried about losing support to UKIP Cameron said ‘I am a heartfelt Conservative. The reason I wanted to lead the Conservative Party was that I felt it needed to make important changes, to broaden the base of its support’

David Cameron is not alone in his support for gay marriage; coalition partner and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is also a vocal supporter. At the Lib Dem party conference in Gateshead, earlier this year, Clegg promised his party the UK would have gay marriage “by 2015”. The party has formally backed gay marriage as a whole; the only major UK political party to do so.

Labour leader Ed Miliband is also a supporter of gay marriage but there are a few within his party who, like their Conservative counterparts, are opposed to marriage equality.

[Written by Martha Kirkpatrick, LGBT editor] Via Pink News