Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill — Second Reading — 5 Feb 2013 at 18:52

The majority of MPs voted in favour of allowing same sex couples to marry.

Under the law as it was at the time of this vote marriage could only be between a man and a woman. Same sex couples (and only same sex couples) could register a civil partnership under the Civil Partnership Act 2004[1]

MPs were voting on if the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill[2] ought be given its second reading; i.e.. if they approved the core principle of the Bill and wished to see it proceed towards becoming law.

Key elements of the Bill (from the explanatory notes[1]):

  • provide that same sex couples can get married in England and Wales;·
  • provide that such marriages are to be treated the same as marriages between a man and a woman in England and Wales;
  • permit marriage of same sex couples by way of a civil ceremony;
  • permit marriage of same sex couples according to religious rites and usages and on religious premises where a religious organisation has opted in to that process (with the exception of the Church of England and the Church in Wales);
  • provide a process by which the Church in Wales can request legislative change to allow marriages of same sex couples in their churches if they wish to do so;
  • provide that there will be no obligation or compulsion to carry out or participate in a religious marriage ceremony of a same sex couple;·provide protection under equality law for organisations and individual ministers of religion who do not wish to marry same sex couples.

Religious organisations and their representatives who do not wish to marry same sex couples are protected from being compelled to do so through a series of religious protections.

Debate in Parliament | Source |

Public Whip is run as a free not-for-profit service. If you'd like to support us, please consider switching your (UK) electricity and/or gas to Octopus Energy or tip us via Ko-Fi.

Party Summary

Votes by party, red entries are votes against the majority for that party.

What is Tell? '+1 tell' means that in addition one member of that party was a teller for that division lobby.

What are Boths? An MP can vote both aye and no in the same division. The boths page explains this.

What is Turnout? This is measured against the total membership of the party at the time of the vote.

PartyMajority (Aye)Minority (No)BothTurnout
Alliance1 00100.0%
Con126 (+1 tell) 135 (+2 tell)588.2%
DUP0 80100.0%
Green1 00100.0%
Independent0 10100.0%
Lab218 22093.0%
LDem44 (+1 tell) 4087.5%
PC3 00100.0%
Respect1 00100.0%
SDLP1 0033.3%
Total:395 170590.1%

Rebel Voters - sorted by constituency

MPs for which their vote in this division differed from the majority vote of their party. You can see all votes in this division, or every eligible MP who could have voted in this division

Sort by: Name | Constituency | Party | Vote

NameConstituencyPartyVote
Nigel MillsAmber ValleyCon (front bench)aye
Nick HerbertArundel and South DownsConaye
Damian GreenAshfordCon (front bench)aye
John BaronBasildon and BillericayCon (front bench)aye
Maria MillerBasingstokeCon (front bench)aye
Mike WoodBatley and SpenLabno
Jane EllisonBatterseaCon (front bench)aye
Alan BeithBerwick-upon-TweedLDem (front bench)no
Gregory BarkerBexhill and BattleCon (front bench)aye
Ronnie CampbellBlyth ValleyLabno
Nick GibbBognor Regis and LittlehamptonConaye
David CrausbyBolton North EastLab (minister)no
Joe BentonBootleLab (minister)no
Mark SimmondsBoston and SkegnessCon (front bench)aye
Conor BurnsBournemouth WestConaye
Phillip LeeBracknellCon (front bench)both
Brooks NewmarkBraintreeCon (front bench)aye
Sarah TeatherBrent CentralLDemno
Mary MacleodBrentford and IsleworthConaye
Eric PicklesBrentwood and OngarCon (front bench)aye
Andrew PercyBrigg and GooleCon (front bench)aye
Simon KirbyBrighton, KemptownConaye
Charlotte LeslieBristol North WestCon (front bench)both
Keith SimpsonBroadlandConaye
Sajid JavidBromsgroveCon (front bench)aye
Charles WalkerBroxbourneCon (front bench)aye
Anna SoubryBroxtoweCon (front bench)aye
Gordon BirtwistleBurnleyLDemno
Aidan BurleyCannock ChaseCon (front bench)aye
Brian H DonohoeCentral AyrshireLabno
Daniel PoulterCentral Suffolk and North IpswichCon (front bench)aye
Stephen DorrellCharnwoodCon (front bench)aye
Tracey CrouchChatham and AylesfordConaye
Greg HandsChelsea and FulhamCon (front bench)aye
Iain Duncan SmithChingford and Woodford GreenCon (front bench)aye
Theresa VilliersChipping BarnetCon (front bench)aye
Mark FieldCities of London and WestminsterCon (front bench)aye
Stephen MosleyCity of ChesterCon (front bench)aye
Tom ClarkeCoatbridge, Chryston and BellshillLab (minister)no
Jason McCartneyColne ValleyConaye
Gavin BarwellCroydon CentralConaye
Richard OttawayCroydon SouthCon (front bench)aye
Chris Heaton-HarrisDaventryCon (front bench)aye
Patrick McLoughlinDerbyshire DalesCon (front bench)aye
David MundellDumfriesshire, Clydesdale and TweeddaleCon (front bench)aye
Jim McGovernDundee WestLab (minister)no
Angie BrayEaling Central and ActonConboth
Steve PoundEaling NorthLab (minister)no
Hugo SwireEast DevonCon (front bench)aye
Damian HindsEast HampshireConaye
Michael McCannEast Kilbride, Strathaven and LesmahagowLab (minister)no
Sam GyimahEast SurreyConaye
Chris GraylingEpsom and EwellCon (front bench)aye
Jessica LeeErewashConaye
Dominic RaabEsher and WaltonCon (front bench)aye
Hugh RobertsonFaversham and Mid KentCon (front bench)aye
Mike FreerFinchley and Golders GreenConaye
Damian CollinsFolkestone and HytheCon (front bench)aye
Mark HarperForest of DeanCon (front bench)aye
Mark MenziesFyldeConaye
Richard GrahamGloucesterConaye
Nicholas BolesGrantham and StamfordCon (front bench)aye
Brandon LewisGreat YarmouthCon (front bench)aye
Derek TwiggHaltonLabno
Andrew JonesHarrogate and KnaresboroughCon (front bench)aye
Bernard JenkinHarwich and North EssexCon (front bench)aye
Amber RuddHastings and RyeConaye
David WillettsHavantCon (front bench)aye
John HowellHenleyConaye
James ClappisonHertsmereCon (front bench)aye
Guy OppermanHexhamConaye
Jim DobbinHeywood and MiddletonLabno
Angela WatkinsonHornchurch and UpminsterConaye
Francis MaudeHorshamCon (front bench)aye
Mike WeatherleyHoveConaye
Iain McKenzieInverclydeLab (minister)no
Ben GummerIpswichConaye
Kris HopkinsKeighleyConaye
Chris SkidmoreKingswoodCon (front bench)aye
Eric OllerenshawLancaster and FleetwoodConaye
George MudieLeeds EastLab (minister)no
Michael FabricantLichfieldCon (front bench)aye
Theresa MayMaidenheadCon (front bench)aye
Helen GrantMaidstone and The WealdCon (front bench)aye
George HollingberyMeon ValleyCon (front bench)aye
Caroline SpelmanMeridenConaye
Dai HavardMerthyr Tydfil and RhymneyLab (minister)no
Nicholas SoamesMid SussexConaye
Peter LuffMid WorcestershireConaye
Iain StewartMilton Keynes SouthCon (front bench)aye
Frank RoyMotherwell and WishawLab (minister)no
Desmond SwayneNew Forest WestCon (front bench)tellaye
Richard BenyonNewburyCon (front bench)aye
Alistair BurtNorth East BedfordshireCon (front bench)aye
Justin TomlinsonNorth SwindonCon (front bench)aye
Mary GlindonNorth TynesideLab (minister)no
Dan BylesNorth WarwickshireCon (front bench)aye
George YoungNorth West HampshireCon (front bench)aye
Michael EllisNorthampton NorthCon (front bench)aye
Chloe SmithNorwich NorthCon (front bench)aye
James BrokenshireOld Bexley and SidcupCon (front bench)aye
Jo JohnsonOrpingtonCon (front bench)aye
Jim SheridanPaisley and Renfrewshire NorthLab (minister)no
Andrew StephensonPendleConaye
Rory StewartPenrith and The BorderCon (front bench)aye
Oliver ColvilePlymouth, Sutton and DevonportCon (front bench)aye
Penny MordauntPortsmouth NorthCon (front bench)aye
Stuart AndrewPudseyConaye
Justine GreeningPutneyCon (front bench)aye
Rob WilsonReading EastConboth
Alok SharmaReading WestConaye
Crispin BluntReigateConaye
William HagueRichmond (Yorks)Con (front bench)aye
Zac GoldsmithRichmond ParkCon (front bench)aye
Mark RecklessRochester and StroodCon (front bench)aye
James DuddridgeRochford and Southend EastCon (front bench)aye
Kenneth ClarkeRushcliffeCon (front bench)aye
Alan DuncanRutland and MeltonCon (front bench)aye
Daniel KawczynskiShrewsbury and AtchamConaye
Julian SmithSkipton and RiponConaye
Andrew LansleySouth CambridgeshireCon (front bench)aye
Andrea LeadsomSouth NorthamptonshireCon (front bench)both
Lorraine FullbrookSouth RibbleCon (front bench)aye
Tim YeoSouth SuffolkCon (front bench)aye
Laura SandysSouth ThanetCon (front bench)aye
David GaukeSouth West HertfordshireCon (front bench)aye
Elizabeth TrussSouth West NorfolkCon (front bench)aye
Jeremy HuntSouth West SurreyCon (front bench)aye
Andrew MurrisonSouth West WiltshireCon (front bench)aye
John PughSouthportLDem (front bench)no
Karen BradleyStaffordshire MoorlandsCon (front bench)aye
Rob FlelloStoke-on-Trent SouthLab (minister)no
Margot JamesStourbridgeConaye
Neil CarmichaelStroudCon (front bench)aye
Michael GoveSurrey HeathCon (front bench)aye
Andrew MitchellSutton ColdfieldConaye
Christopher PincherTamworthCon (front bench)aye
George OsborneTattonCon (front bench)aye
Paul MurphyTorfaenLab (minister)no
Sarah WollastonTotnesCon (front bench)aye
Sarah NewtonTruro and FalmouthCon (front bench)aye
Greg ClarkTunbridge WellsCon (front bench)aye
Ed VaizeyWantageCon (front bench)aye
David MowatWarrington SouthConaye
Chris WhiteWarwick and LeamingtonCon (front bench)aye
Richard HarringtonWatfordConaye
Charles HendryWealdenConaye
Grant ShappsWelwyn HatfieldCon (front bench)aye
Oliver LetwinWest DorsetCon (front bench)aye
Rosie CooperWest LancashireLab (minister)no
Matthew HancockWest SuffolkCon (front bench)aye
John PenroseWeston-Super-MareCon (front bench)aye
Stephen HammondWimbledonCon (front bench)aye
David CameronWitneyCon (front bench)aye
Robin WalkerWorcesterCon (front bench)aye
Tony CunninghamWorkingtonLab (minister)no
Peter BottomleyWorthing WestCon (front bench)aye
Paul GogginsWythenshawe and Sale EastLabno

About the Project

The Public Whip is a not-for-profit, open source website created in 2003 by Francis Irving and Julian Todd and now run by Bairwell Ltd.

The Whip on the Web

Help keep PublicWhip alive