Civil Partnership Bill [Lords] — 12 Oct 2004 at 18:42
I beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time.
The Bill represents a historic step on what has been a long journey to respect and dignity for lesbians and gay men in Britain. It is a natural progression in our vision to build an inclusive society. As such, it builds on reforms that began back in 1967 with Leo Abse's private Member's Bill, backed by the then Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins. The Government's commitment to equality has been strong and unequivocal. We have equalised the age of consent, outlawed discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sexual orientation, secured protection from homophobic hate crimes and supported the abolition of section 28.
In creating a new legal relationship for same-sex couples, this Bill is a sign of the Government's commitment to social justice and equality. It is also a recognition of the realities of modern Britain. Across this country today thousands of same-sex couples have made the decision to share their lives, their home, their finances and the care of their children or of older relatives. They may have loved and cared for each other for many years, yet their relationship is invisible in the eyes of the law. The Bill sends a clear message about the importance of stable and committed same-sex relationships.
Question put, That the Bill be now read a Second time:-
Those voting Aye in this division voted to move to Bill for recognising same-sex partnerships to the next stage.
The House divided: Ayes 426, Noes 49.
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.
Party | Majority (Aye) | Minority (No) | Both | Turnout |
Con | 66 | 36 (+2 tell) | 1 | 64.4% |
DUP | 0 | 6 | 0 | 100.0% |
Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.0% |
Independent Conservative | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |
Lab | 308 (+2 tell) | 2 | 0 | 76.7% |
LDem | 42 | 0 | 0 | 76.4% |
PC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75.0% |
SDLP | 2 | 0 | 0 | 66.7% |
SNP | 3 | 0 | 0 | 60.0% |
UUP | 0 | 3 | 0 | 60.0% |
Total: | 425 | 48 | 1 | 73.4% |
Rebel Voters - sorted by vote
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
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