Schools Minsiter Nick Gibb comes out, reveals plans to marry

Conservative MP Nick Gibb has come out as gay, and confirmed that he will marry his long-term partner Michael Simmonds later this year.

Speaking to The Times, the Minister of State for Schools revealed that he had only spoken about his sexuality to his family last week.

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“I told my family last week. Conversations were had with my mother and brother and sister and Michael’s family,” he said. “I think my mother was initially shocked – that’s an age thing – but then very supportive and what she wants is for me to be happy.

“We are close, so to her being a loving family is more important than anything else.”

Speaking about his 29-year relationship with Simmonds, who is the chief executive of the Populus polling organisation, Gibb said: “We met in a different era so you are in a way locked into that and we were comfortable with it. We have a wonderful life together. We are both very private people.”

On marriage, he said that the couple had never been “in favour of civil partnerships”, adding: “We felt there should be the same approach for us and other couples. We both felt strongly we would wait until marriage became legal.”

In the interview, the minister recalled when he first met Simmonds at the age of 26, telling the newspaper it was “pretty rapid” and that they had fallen “in love very quickly”.

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