Progress on the marriage equality front in Northern Ireland

UK politicians and lawmakers are coming together to work on a plan to finally bring marriage equality to Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland remains the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is illegal. The area has been without a government since January 2017 as battling parties Sinn Fein and the DUP have yet to reach a power sharing deal. This leaves the issue of equal marriage in a state of limbo.

The Sinn Fein leader, Mary Lou McDonald, has grown frustrated with the process, saying that “some people” need to “step into the light of 2018 in terms of same-sex marriage.”

The UK government has finally started to take action, saying they would not actively block a bill supporting marriage equality in the area. Conor McGinn, a Labour MP for St. Helens North, has responded to this by proposing a backbench bill on the issue which he plans to bring to the House of Commons next month.

McGinns has said in a statement: “I’m taking forward a Ten Minute Rule bill at the end of March, that can decisively test the mood of the House of Commons.

“If anyone objects to extending equal marriage to Northern Ireland, they can oppose that and put it to a vote. I’m very confident we would win any vote, and I think it’s then for the government to legislate.

“People can’t wait for their basic rights any longer, and that’s why I’ve taken the decision, along with my colleagues in the Labour Party, to pursue this at Westminster.”


Tim Gibson - mygwork

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