Tories say N Ireland isn't ready for gay marriage1
A UK government minister has insisted it’s “not the time” to discuss an equal marriage settlement in Northern Ireland – after calls to intervene.
Gay Labour MP Ged Killen, who is married to a Northern Irish man, challenged the government on the issue in Parliament today.
The ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party has previously employed peace process powers to veto equal marriage bills in Northern Ireland – making it the only part of the UK that still bans same-sex couples from marrying.
Making the outlook even more bleak for LGBT people, the region has also been without a functioning government since January, due to the collapse of power-sharing between the DUP and Sinn Fein.
Mr Killen, the Labour MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, challenged the UK government over the remaining inequality today – which means that couples who are legally married in other parts of the UK are treated as ‘civil partners’ in Northern Ireland.
The MP explained that he and his partner plan to one day retire to Northern Ireland. However, if one of them dies, under Northern Irish law their death certificate would pretend that their marriage simply never existed.
Mr Killen pressed the government to legislate to ensure “that same sex marriages issued in England, Wales and Scotland are recognised as marriages in Northern Ireland”.
He said: “If my husband and I stick to our plans to one day retire to his hometown in Northern Ireland, upon my death my better half would lose a husband in every sense of the word.
“The registry confirms no reference to the marriage would be included on any certificate issued. My husband would be recorded simply as a surviving civil partner. Years of marriage wiped out by the stroke of a pen.”
Referencing the DUP’s position on Brexit, he said: “Does the minister agree with me that if the DUP are so keen on no regulatory divergence from the UK, this is a good place to start?”
But Northern Ireland minister Chloe Smith insisted it was “not the time” to bring up the issue or try and reach a settlement.
She said: “I do very much sympathise on this issue and I share the frustration that is encapsulated in the letter I’ve just heard him read out.
“However, this is not the time to be unpicking the devolution settlement on this issue. This is, rightly, for a future executive to return to look at. We hope the executive can be brought back up to do this, and look at many other very important issues.”
She added: “My own position on this issue is clear. I voted in support of equal marriage in England and Wales and like the Prime Minister I hope that this can be extended to Northern Ireland in the future.
“I believe that marriage should be a common right across the UK, however, the fundamental position remains that same-sex marriage is a devolved issue in Northern Ireland.”
There are few signs that a fresh power-sharing deal in Northern Ireland is forthcoming, so if the issue is left to a “future executive”, it will likely not be on the table for several years.
