Labour’s Equal marriage Bill amendment on Civil Partnerships

Labour MPs will be encouraged to back this amendment – rather than that of Tory backbencher Tim Loughton – today:

House of Commons
Monday 20 May 2013
CONSIDERATION OF BILL
New Amendments handed in are marked thus *
MARRIAGE (SAME SEX COUPLES) BILL
MANUSCRIPT AMENDMENT
(a) As an Amendment to Secretary Maria Miller’s proposed New Clause
(Review of civil partnership) (NC16):-
Kate Green
(a)(a
* Line 8, leave out from ‘practicable’ to end of Clause, and insert ‘and include a full public consultation’.

Update: Speaking to LabourList this afternoon, a senior party source told us that cameron “cannot be given any excuse to wreck this historic bill”. If Labour’s amendment passes, a full consultation on equal Civil Partnerships will begin “straight away”. There’s no word yet on how long such a consultation might last.

However Labour won’t be voting against the Loughton amendment. Ed Miliband and Yvette Cooper will be abstaining on that vote – and most Labour MPs are expected to follow them.