Gay Marriage Vote Passes in United Kingdom

Earlier today the British House of Commons passed a bill that legalizes gay marriage. It passed with a large majority of the vote of 400 to 175, as Prime Minister David Cameron (who supports the bill) directed MPs to vote according to their conscience rather than under party orders.

The bill isn’t quite in the clear yet, and is a couple steps from becoming law, although it is believed that it will pass the House of Commons with strong support from Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs. When the bill moves on to the House of Lords, it is thought that it will be less favored, however it can only reject the law once: if the House of Commons passes it again in the next session, the House of Lords cannot reject it again.

The new law proposes legalising same-sex marriage in England and Wales in 2014. It would also allow civil partners to convert their partnerships into marriages. A YouGov poll for the Sunday Times in London last week showed 55% approved of legalising gay marriage, while 36% opposed it.