Ed Miliband: Entire Labour Shadow Cabinet will vote for same-sex marriage but it will be a free vote
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And you will have my vote at any election because of that support.
…and I think that’s the right choice.
And, as you reach to click the little vote down icon, I know… I see your point.
But, it just seems ironic that a vote in favour of creating a freedom would itself be imposed. Just, I dunno… goes against the grain, for me.
The point is that, by whipping the vote, Labour would be showing that equality is a matter of principle for the party. This u turn is rumoured to have come about because 3 members of the Shadow Cabinet, including 2 evangelical christians, threatened to resign over the issue. So once again, we’ve been stabbed in the back. Nice!
The names of two junior shadow ministers who supposedly threatened to resign are out there on social media. I don’t know why their resignations were deemed too high a price to pay for equality, since they have never contributed much, but at least a free vote will show Labour members which Labour MPs ought not to be Labour MPs.
My Labour membership card talks of “a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect”, and so will these MPs’ membership cards. It seems some MPs think this doesn’t extend to some of their fellow citizens and some of their constituents. Their self-important posturing will, I’m sure, be borne in mind by their local memberships when they come to seek reselection.
I’m confused the headline says “The whole Shadow Cabinet is united in supporting same-sex marriage ..”, so is Milliband lying?
Hardly ‘stabbed in the back’. The measure is likely to pass in any event, which is probably why a free vote has been offered.
I’m only hoping that allowing a free vote will indicate beforehand that there are more than enough votes to carry it through. We need a respectful majority, not a mere five or six to allow it to pass the minimum number required which I think is 326, giving it a better chance in the Lords. I feel very uncomfortable about this now.
It’s actually 318. The Speaker and his deputies don’t vote (4), SNP won’t vote (6) and Sinn Fein won’t vote (5). So there are 635 voting MPs with 318 required to pass. Not much different but a slightly lower threshold.
Thank you for that, Bobbleobble. What is your take on the actual vote? Do you think there will be a comfortable majority or just a narrow margin to see it pass?
I think there’ll be 200+ Labour MPs, 50+ Lib Dems, 150+ Tories, Plaid (3), SDLP (3), Caroline Lucas, Eric Joyce and Naomi Long voting in favour giving around 409 votes in favour minimum. I don’t think they’ll struggle to get it through the Commons at all, it’s the Lords that will cause the problems.
So according to the C4EM support website we are still 25 MPs away from a majority….can someone please start writing to their undecided MPs and try to get an answer from them!!
Out of all of the parties Labour is the one I worry least about. They will overwhelmingly vote Yes, if only to try and embarrass the Tories.
All rather depressing though isn’t it.
The truth is same-sex marriage will only become law because of the Labour party. Not just because they spent 13 years of govt changing attitudes, but because almost every Labour MP has said they will vote in favour. It’s almost certain a majority of Tory MPs will not.
So thanks goodness for all those decent Labour MPs!
True, but attitudes have been changing in society also, independent of those changes that Labour made. And whilst I have been a Labour supporter for decades, the LibDems have always had policies for us too. Whilst the Tories, in fronting this, are making up for the barbaric Section 28, which they had wanted to keep even long after they’d lost in 1997. I rather fear many of those backbenchers will have tarnished the clean-up that Cameron was working on. Public opinion is probably influenced far more by knowing us, in the workplace, and wherever we are in society where we are visible. It is our visibility, free from so much prejudicial and discriminatory fear (due to changes in the law also) that has allowed them to get to know us.
It removes another rug from under the religious freaks, who will have said MPs were being forced for vote against their conscience. Now it’s a free vote.
Alternatively, they may now try to make some obscure and ridiculous claim that party leaders are running scared because it goes too far with religious groups being allowed to participate. Either way, remember these anti-gay groups never wanted us to have any rights, let alone Civil Partnerships.
So equality is matter of concise now for parliament. Green party gets my vote at next elections
It’s good that the entire Shadow Cabinet will support same-sex marriage. I wonder if the actual Cabinets of both the Uk & Scottish governments who are bringing in equal marriage will also unite in supporting it?
Whole of shadow cabinet are going to vote for equal marriage!
Can we get confirmation from Jim Murphy, Liam Byrne MP and Michael Dugher MP then?