Government minister to become first MP to have gay marriage
Labour MP, Ben Bradshaw announced yesterday that he will be holding a civil ceremony with partner, Neal Dalgleish, who is a BBC Newsnight journalist.
Family and friends will witness the representative for Exeter’s gay marriage ceremony to his partner in June. His spokesman said: “To celebrate the occasion they’re giving a party for family and close friends at Ben’s sister’s home in Herefordshire.”
Local councillors welcomed the announcement, Roy Slack congratulated the politician, he said: “We want to wish Ben and his partner all the best for the future.”
Around one thousand couples from London have tied the knot in civil partnerships since the introduction of civil partnerships during December of last year.
Mr Bradshaw is a former BBC correspondent and has worked in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs since 2004, firstly as Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries and now as the Minister for Local Environment, Marine and Animal Welfare.
Prior to that he worked as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and then the Privy Council Office where he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary in 2002.
When first voted in to his Exeter seat in 1997, the politician was one of the first openly gay MPs to be out at the same time that he was elected.
