London Mayor Sadiq Khan comes out in favour of straight civil partnerships
By Will Stroude
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has come out in favour of civil partnerships being opened up to straight couples.
Civil partnerships were brought in back in 2004 under Tony Blair’s New Labour government to allow legally-binding gay unions ‘separate’ from marriage.
When same-sex marriage was introduced in England and Wales in 2014, and the government decided to keep existing civil partnership legislation in place, but it was not extended to include mixed-sex couples – something which is currently being challenged in the courts system.
According to PinkNews, Sadiq Khan expressed his support for the campaign to allow heterosexual couples to enter civil partnerships after the issue was debated in the London Assembly.
The Labour politician said in a statement: “I have written to [civil partnerships campaigner] Charles Keidan expressing my support of the Equal Civil Partnerships Campaign. I am passionate about achieving equality for everyone and this means giving mixed-sex couples the right to a civil partnership.
“I recognise that there are many reasons why some people may not want to enter into a traditional marriage, and agree that everyone should have the right to express their relationship in a loving union that works for them.
“I will express my support for the introduction of Equal Civil Partnerships to the government, should the Court of Appeal reject this couple’s application to form a civil partnership.
He added: “All couples, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, should be equal before the law.”
More stories:
How Instagram became the new gay cruising ground
‘There’s more to me than just a body’ – Tom Daley dives into Attitude’s Body Issue