The Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, has claimed there is “no huge demand” for gay marriage in Britain and planned legislation has caused a “real sense of anger” amongst people already married.
Speaking on last night’s edition of BBC show Question Time, the 57 year-old MP for Runnymede and Weybridge said the introduction of civil partnerships had effectively addressed the disadvantages experienced by gay people.
“There was no huge demand for [gay marriage legislation] and we didn’t need to spend a lot of parliamentary time and upset vast numbers of people in order to do this,” he claimed.
The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill changes the concept of marriage, he insisted.
“This change does redefine marriage. For millions and millions of people who are married, the meaning of marriage changes. There is a real sense of anger among many people who are married that any government thinks it has the ability to change the definition of an institution like marriage.”
