Liam Fox: Gay Marriage Not A Priority For Most People

Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said he doesn’t believe gay marriage is a priority for most people in the UK.

Fox was interviewed by Sky News over the weekend and echoed comments made by fellow Tory MP Nadine Dorries by saying that for most people in the country gay marriage is not seen as a priority – instead the economy is far more important. However, while stating he didn’t believe marriage equality was a high priority Dr. Fox didn’t openly oppose it nor did he speak out against its introduction per se.

“This is a contentious issue but I have to say that I am much more in favour of social mobility than social engineering. I think that the vast majority of the public have a completely different set of priorities from what I would call the metropolitan elite and I think they will be looking for economic and social issues to be dealt with first” – Liam Fox speaking to Sky News

A spokesperson for the Tory MP told Pink News that he was “undecided” on the issue and  wouldn’t reach a decision on the matter until nearer a parliamentary vote on gay marriage. It was recently revealed that Tory MP’s would be allowed a free vote on same-sex marriage meaning those who are opposed to it within the party can vote against it. David Cameron’s coalition partner Nick Clegg was critical of the Tory free vote and stated Lib Dems MPs would not be granted one – though predominantly most Liberal Democrats are supporters of marriage equality.

Opinion polls continue to show the majority of people in the UK support marriage equality despite opposition from some religious organisations such as the Catholic Church and Church of England.