Some of our wonderful supporters!

Why are you supporting the campaign?

“I would like to be able to formalise my commitment to my partner and mother of my children, giving her the independence and legal security she deserves.”

Joseph Gaze, Letchworth Garden City

“Whilst it is a wonderful and just thing that civil partnerships and marriage are now options for same-sex partners, it is unfathomable why civil partnerships should be denied to those of us in opposite-sex couples who have no desire to be married. The fact that we would have to marry to share the same rights as a married couple, after 16 years together and counting, is simply not justifiable.”

Heather Goldie, London

“We must have equality of choice regardless of sexual preference.”

Cllr Anna Bailey, Ely

“Although I will probably opt for the traditional route should I ever get married, I believe we should have the option to do either. Anyone who would like to have a civil partnership should have one, regardless of if that is me or not.”

Holly Grahan, London

“All couples should be able to choose what is right for them.”

Nicola Freeman, London

“My partner and I have been together 30 years. We have 2 children (18 and 21). We have a mortgage. We have worked and paid tax throughout. If we’re not entitled to the benefits and protections of a civil partnership, then I don’t know who is.”

Michael Carton, Ickenham

“I’ve been in a long-term partnership for 40 years. We do not want to get married but we do want the same legal rights as married couples and same-sex couples in a civil partnership. We have taken financial and legal responsibility for each other as required under UK cohabitation laws and been treated the same way as a married couple rather than two individuals for welfare rights and a host of other provisions, so why are we not entitled to the full range of legal rights that married couples enjoy?”

Nicola Harwin, Bristol

“Both heterosexual and homosexual couples should have the equal right to choose what type of ceremony and label fits their beliefs and relationship.”

Shiva Riahi, London

“I would like to be able to enter into a civil partnership with my heterosexual partner of almost 30 years. I have no desire to be married.”

Ros McIntyre, Herne Bay

“This kind of inequality makes a nonsense of the law if allowed to continue!”

Stephen Mays, London

“The right to equality before the law is a fundamental right that should not be denied to opposite-sex couples.”

Desmond Banks, London

“My partner and I do not favour marriage but would register as civil partners which would give us certain rights under the law which we do not currently have.”

Martin Elliff, Long Wittenham


Politicians and Political Parties

We are proud to count the following among our supporters, meaning that their Party policy is to extend civil partnerships to mixed sex couples:

The Liberal Democrats

The Green Party of England and Wales

The Women’s Equality Party

The following individual members have contacted the campaign to pledge their support

Members of Parliament 

Graham Brady  Conservative MP for Altrincham and Sale West Chair of the Conservative Party 1922 Committee
Craig Whittaker  Conservative MP for Calder Valley Assistant Government Whip
Nigel Adams  Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty Assistant Government Whip

 

Dominic Grieve QC  Conservative MP for Beaconsfield
 Maria Caulfield  Conservative MP for Lewes
Henry Smith  Conservative MP for Crawley
Tim Loughton  Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham
Simon Hoare  Conservative MP for North Dorset
Kit Malthouse  Conservative MP for North West Hampshire
Crispin Blunt  Conservative MP for Reigate
Sir Peter Bottomley  Conservative MP for Worthing West
Craig Mackinlay Cnservative MP for South Thanet

 

Helen Whately Cnservative MP for Faversham and Mid Kent
Sir Keir Starmer Labour MP for Holborn and St Pancras  Shadow Minister for Exiting Brexit
Harriet Harman Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham

 

Thangham Debbonaire  Labour MP for Bristol West Opposition Whip
Liz McInnes  Labour MP for Heywood and Middleton Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister and
Cat Smith  Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood Shadow Minister for Voter Engagement and Youth Affairs
Yvonne Fovargue  Labour MP for Makerfield Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government
Jeff Smith  Labour MP for Manchester Opposition Whip
Chris Bryant  Labour MP for Rhondda Shadow Minister for Wales
Paul Blomfield  Labour MP for Sheffield Central Shadow Minister for Exiting the European Union
Louise Haigh  Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley Shadow Policing Minister
Alex Cunningham  Labour MP for Stockton North Shadow Minister for Pensions
David Drew  Labour MP for Stroud Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Carolyn Harris  Labour MP for Swansea East Shadow Minister for Equalities
Valerie Vaz  Labour MP for Walsall South Shadow Leader of the Commons
Geoffrey Robinson  Labour MP for Coventry North West
Andy Slaughter  Labour MP for Hammersmith
Catherine West  Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green
Stephen Twigg  Labour MP for Liverpool
Frank Field  Labour MP for Birkenhead
Roger Godsiff  Labour MP for Birmingham
Lloyd-Russell Moyle  Labour MP for Brighton and Kemptown
Kerry McCarthy  Labour MP for Bristol East
Jo Stevens  Labour MP for Cardiff Central
Jon Cruddas  Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham
Dr Rupa Huq  Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton
Virendrar Sharma  Labour MP for Ealing Southall
Bambos Charalambous  Labour MP for Enfield Southgate
Mike Gapes  Labour MP for Ilford South
Sandy Martin  Labour MP for Ipswich
John Grogan  Labour MP for Keighley
Liz Kendall  Labour MP for Leicester West
Heidi Alexander  Labour MP for Lewisham East
Ian Murray  Labour MP for Edinburgh South
Gavin Shuker  Labour MP for Luton South
Cath McKinnell  Labour MP for Newcastle North
Anneliese Dodds  Labour MP for Oxford East
Sarah Champion  Labour MP for Rotherham
Dr Paul Williams  Labour MP for Stockton South
Kate Green  Labour MP for Stretford and Urmston
Wes Streeting  Labour MP for Tower Hamlets
Chris Ruane  Labour MP for Vale of Clywd
Kate Hoey  Labour MP for Vauxhall
Angela Eagle  Labour MP for Wallasey
Vernon Coaker  Labour MP Gedling
Tulip Siddiq  Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn
Teresa Pearce  Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead
Neil Coyle  Labour MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Richard Burden  Labour MP for Birmingham Northfield
Tan Dhesi Labour MP for Slough
Ellie Reeves Labour MP for Lewisham West and Penge
Rosie Duffield  Labour MP for Canterbury
Daniel Zeichner  Labour MP for Cambridge
Tom Brake Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Shadow Chief Whip
Stephen Lloyd Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne and Willingdon
Jonathan Edwards  Plaid Cymru MP for Carmathen East and Dinefwr Spokesperson for Foreign Intervention, Spokesperson for the Treasury, Spokesperson for Business, Innovation and Skills, Spokesperson for Transport
Liz Saville Roberts  Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Spokesperson for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Spokesperson for Women and Equalities and Spokesperson  for Justice
Hywel Williams  Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon
Ben Lake  Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion
Kirsty Blackman  SNP MP for Aberdeen North Spokesperson on Economy
Tommy Sheppard  SNP MP for Edinburgh East Spokesperson on House of Lords, Scotland and Cabinet Offices
Alan Brown  SNP MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun Spokesperson on Transport, Infrastructure and Energy
Gavin Newlands  SNP MP for Paisley and Renfewshire North Spokesperson on Sport
Martin Docherty-Hughes  SNP MP for West Dunbartonshire Spokesperson on Industries for the future
Dr Lisa Cameron  SNP MP for East Kilbride Spokesperson on Mental Health
Martyn Day  SNP MP for East Lothian

 

Caroline Lucas  MP for Brighton Pavilion Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

 

MEPs

Julie Girling  Conservative MEP for the South West and Gibraltar
Claude Moraes  Labour MEP for London Chair, European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee
Seb Dance  Labour MEP for London
Jude Kirton-Darling  Labour MEP for the North East
Alex Mayer  Labour MEP for the East
Catherine Bearder  Liberal Democrat MEP for the South East
Stuart Agnew  UKIP MEP for the East
Molly Scott-Cato  Green MEP for the South West and Gibraltar

Members of the House of Lords

Baroness Gould Labour  Deputy Speaker of the Lords
Baroness Lynne Featherstone Liberal Democrat  Energy Spokesperson and former Equalities Minister

Greater London Authority

Sadiq Khan Labour  Mayor of London
Andrew Dismore Labour  London-wide Assembly Member

 

Andrew Boff  Conservative London-wide Assembly Member
Keith Prince  Conservative London-wide Assembly Member
Steve O’Connell  Conservative London Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton
Sian Berry  Green Party London-wide Assembly Member
Caroline Russell  Green Party London-wide Assembly Member

 

Public figures

Caroline Criado-Perez, journalist and campaigner

Owen Jones, Guardian journalist and campaigner

Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

Wendy Cope, poet

Fiona Miller, journalist and campaigner

Elsie Owusu OBE, founding member of Society of Black Architects

Professor Rob Wintemute, Professor of Human Rights Law at King’s College, London

Ben Rich, campaigner

Martin Loat, founder and CEO of Propeller Group

Ellie O’Hagan, journalist and campaigner

Organisations

Liberty

UNISON Women

TUC Women

Women’s Budget Group

Peter Tatchell Foundation

Humanist Society Scotland

Equality Network

Progressive Women

The Great Initiative

Engender, Scottish women’s equality campaign