Proposing change - How same-sex marriage became a government success story

It introduced a ‘quadruple lock’ of protections for religious organisations: • A religious same-sex marriage ceremony would only be possible if the governing body of the religious organisation had opted in, the individual minister wished to conduct the marriage and the place of worship was registered for same-sex marriages. [...] But others noted that this presented a “constitutional issue”, given the large majority the bill received in a free vote in the House of Commons, and would risk the Commons passing the bill under the Parliament Act in the form that it left the Commons originally (without any Lords amendments). [...] The discussion brought out five key factors: • the role of long-running cultural change, campaigns from LGBT+ rights groups, the introduction of civil partnerships and political support from the Liberal Democrats in creating the conditions for same-sex marriage to be a high-profile, serious policy option • the political risks that senior Conservatives – led by David Cameron – took to adopt same-se. [...] While it is unknown how far through the legislative process the bill will get, it is likely to have at least a second reading in the Lords and if it proceeds further – especially to the House of Commons – the government will need to decide its stance.74 In December 2023, the Outer House of the Court of Session ruled that the government’s use of Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to block the Scot. [...] Would you support or oppose changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry? March 2014: Do you support or oppose the change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry? September 2017: To what extent would you support or oppose each of the following policies? [Same-sex marriage] August 2019 – present: In 2013 and 2014 the law was changed in England, Wales and Scotland to allow same-sex coup.