The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (c. 30) is an Act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It legalises same-sex marriage in England and Wales.[1]
After the 2010 General Election, in September 2011, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Equalities, Lynne Featherstone, announced they would try to make same-sex marriage legal from March 2012.[2] The session closed in June 2012 and, in December 2012, the new Minister for Women and Equalities, Maria Miller, announced that the Government would be introducing a law before the next election. She also said that they were trying to get this done within parliament's current session.[3]
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill was introduced into Parliament on 24 January 2013. The leaders of the three main political parties in the United Kingdom gave their MPs a free vote. This means they would not be made to vote in favour or against it; they could vote however they wanted.[4]
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