Gay foreign minister Chris Bryant to wed in parliament next month

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Europe minister Chris Bryant has confirmed he will tie the knot with his partner in parliament next month.

Mr Bryant is expected to become the first MP to take advantage of changes which mean gay MPs and their families can celebrate their ceremonies in the same way as heterosexuals.

He announced his engagement to company secretary Jared Cranney last autumn. The couple met in 2008 while Mr Bryant was campaigning in Soho with former London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Mr Bryant told PinkNews.co.uk he and Mr Cranney would have their civil partnership ceremony on March 27th in the MPs’ dining room, which has a capacity of 150.

The room is one of two in parliament which has been licensed as a venue for civil partnerships and overlooks the Thames.

Mr Bryant added that he had invited prime minister Gordon Brown to next month’s ceremony, although he did not yet know whether Mr Brown would be able to attend.

He said: “I asked him last night and they’re trying to sort out his diary but we don’t know. The prime minister never talks about his diary before for security reasons.”

MPs, peers, certain parliamentary officials and their families are allowed to get married in the Chapel of St Mary in parliament.

However, religious venues cannot be used for civil partnership registrations or civil marriages so they cannot be held in the 14th century chapel.

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