BRITAIN: Northern Ireland Marriage Equality Bill Stalls In House Of Commons After Objection By Tory MP

The Belfast Telegraph reports:

A bid to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland has been blocked from progressing the legislative process in the House of Commons. MP Conor McGinn [photo] had brought a private member’s bill forward seeking to extend same-sex marriage into Northern Ireland following the collapse of the devolved government more than 15 months ago.

He had expected the government to object given its ties to the DUP. However, the Labour MP’s bill has not progressed past Second Reading in the Commons following an objection by a backbench Conservative MP. It will return for a further Second Reading on October 26.

Since the Bill’s introduction to the Commons in March, an opinion poll has shown an overwhelming 76% of the Northern Ireland public now support same-sex marriage. Following the blocking of the bill, the Love Equality campaign for marriage equality in Northern Ireland has announced it will hold a march and rally in Belfast on Saturday, June 2.

The DUP is the Democratic Unionist Party, which holds 10 of Northern Ireland’s 18 seats in the House of Commons.