Straight couples will be allowed to enter civil partnerships, PM confirms

The prime minister has said, civil partnerships are to be extended to heterosexual couples following a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that existing discrimination is unlawful.

 

A change in the law would protect the interests of opposite-sex couples who want to formalise their relationship without getting married, says Theresa May.

 

The Supreme Court ruled in Steinfeld and Keidan v Secretary of State for International Development that there was no justification for the ongoing discrimination since legislation was introduced allowing same-sex couples to marry.

 

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 enabled same-sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship by registering a civil partnership at a time when they were not allowed to get married. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 allowed same-sex couples to get married or convert their civil partnerships into marriage. 

 

The prime minister told the London Evening Standard today: 'As home secretary, I was proud to sponsor the legislation that created equal marriage. Now, by extending civil partnerships, we are making sure that all couples, be they same-sex or opposite-sex, are given the same choices in life.'

 

Steinfeld and Keidan welcomed the PM's pledge, but also called for a firm date for the reform.

 

Graham Coy, a senior partner at Stowe Family Law in London, said: 'This is a very welcome development and will provide protection to those who live together but do not want to marry. What it will not do is give any protection to the increasing number of couples who do live together but do not want to marry nor enter in to a civil partnership. That anomaly still needs to be dealt with.'

 

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