Theresa May urges MPs to support gay marriage

Maidenhead MP Theresa May has urged her party's backbenchers not to oppose the Gay Marriage bill, which will be voted on tonight.

In a joint letter to a national newspaper the Home Secretary, and fellow Tory cabinet ministers George Osborne and William Hague urged Conservative MPs to back the bill claiming it is 'the right thing to do at the right time.'

They hope the letter will persuade those MPs with deep-seated opposition to support the bill.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, where a religious institution had formally consented, in England and Wales. It would also allow couples who had previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage.

The vote is set to be held today and it is believed that more than half of Conservative MPs will vote against the bill that has been championed by the Prime Minister David Cameron.

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