BRITAIN: House Of Lords Approves Marriage Equality Bill

The House Of Lords today approved its version of the marriage equality bill on its third reading.

The upper, unelected chamber approved the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill without a vote in London today. Some members of the house wore pink carnations to mark the occasion. The legislation has already been passed by the Commons amid opposition from more than 100 lawmakers from Cameron’s Conservative Party. The bill will now return to the Commons, where amendments introduced by the Lords will be considered. If they’re accepted, the bill will be sent to Queen Elizabeth II for her signature before becoming law.

Pink News reports on the bill’s amendments.

The amendments added to the bill will be introduced by Culture Secretary Maria Miller in the House of Commons at 7pm tomorrow, and if accepted the bill will go on to receive Royal Assent, when the Queen is available to sign it. The amendments include a provisions to hold reviews of equal pension survivor rights, humanist weddings and civil partnerships for opposite-sex couples. At Report Stage in the Lords, the bill was subject to scrutiny, and many government amendments were added, in order to tidy it up.