October 26, 2018

First Opposite-Sex Civil Partnerships set for Autumn 2019

A Private Members Bill by Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton, which would ultimately extend civil partnerships to all, has completed its passage through the House of Commons and will now be considered by Peers.

An amendment to his own Bill by Mr Loughton, which was also carried, will now require the Government to “make regulations to bring about equality between same-sex couples and other couples” within six months of it becoming law.  This means that civil partnerships are set to be extended to all by Autumn 2019.

Martin Loat, the Chair of the Equal Civil Partnerships campaign, said:

“We welcome the progress of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Bill today.  We congratulate and thank Tim Loughton MP for his championing of equal civil partnerships and his determination to hold the Government’s “feet to the fire”.   There can be no further excuse to keep couples waiting and I call on the Government now to ensure that this Bill becomes law as quickly as possible.”

Charles Keidan and Rebecca Steinfeld, the couple who successfully challenged the Government in the Supreme Court in June, added:

“Many people will be surprised that we still waiting for the opportunity to have our civil partnership five months after the Supreme Court ruled in our favour and a month after the Prime Minister made a personal commitment to open up civil partnerships to all.   Now the Government has a mechanism and timeline to legislate, so we – and the millions of other couples in our situation – can celebrate.”

The Bill is now expected to go to the House of Lords in the next couple of months and to become law in the Spring, after which the Government will have six months to draw up the detailed regulations for the introduction of civil partnerships for opposite-sex couples.

October 22, 2018

Amendment to Tim Loughton Bill – Statement from Chair, Martin Loat

Today (22 October), Tim Loughton, MP, announced an amendment to his own Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration) Bill which has its Report stage of its passage through the Commons on Friday, 26 October.

In effect, the amendment states that the Government will make regulations to bring about equality of civil partnerships and that this must take place within six months of the Bill being passed. This means that his Bill – if passed through Parliament – will lead to mixed-sex couples being able to have a civil partnership before the end of 2019.

This comes less than a month after Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the Government supported opening up CPs to all, but she gave no time frame.

I know that many supporters of equal civil partnerships would like the law changed sooner (as I do). But the realities of Parliamentary procedure, aligning various ministries and the distractions of Brexit, mean that putting a six-month cap on it after the Bill becomes law (hopefully in Spring 2019) is the most pragmatic way to avoid any wriggling out with excuses about “consultations and procedure”.

If he can steer his amendment and Bill through, Tim should be congratulated for being the one to hold the Government to a definite time frame for its own pronouncements.

We want to encourage all our supporters to keep up the fight. Please send a postcard, email (you can find your MP’s email on www.writetothem.com),tweet your MP (adding handle @EqualCPs and hashtag #equalcivilpartnerships)  or telephone them at their office to tell them you want them to attend the debate on Friday morning and to support this amendment.

Many thanks Tim Loughton and good luck from us all at the Campaign!

Martin Loat,

Chair, Equal Civil Partnerships Campaign

October 3, 2018

Government to change the law to allow opposite-sex couples to enter into civil partnership

The full text of the press release issued by the Government yesterday morning.

The Government will change the law to allow opposite-sex couples in England and Wales to enter into a civil partnership.

Under the current system, same-sex couples can choose to marry or register for a civil partnership whereas opposite-sex couples can only get married.

Extending civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples will not only address this imbalance, it will also provide greater security for couples who want to gain legal recognition for their relationship.

There are over 3.3 million unmarried couple families in the UK living together with shared financial responsibilities and nearly half of them with children. These households do not have the same legal protections as those who have a civil partnership or marriage.

Prime Minister Theresa May said: “This change in the law helps protect the interests of opposite-sex couples who want to commit, want to formalise their relationship but don’t necessarily want to get married. 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.”

Equalities Minster, Penny Mordaunt, said: “This is an important step forward for equality. There are all sorts of reasons why people may choose not to marry.  By giving couples this option we hope to give them and their families more certainty and security.

I pay tribute to all who have campaigned for this change and will introduce the change as swiftly as possible.”

Extending civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples will provide a positive alternative for couples who might not have legally committed to each other otherwise.

The ability for couples to formalise their relationship encourages greater commitment, leading to greater family stability and greater security within relationships to help protect children’s interests.

Many unmarried couples in a long-standing relationship believe that they have acquired rights similar to those of married couples but in fact there is no such thing as ‘common law marriage’, no matter how long a couple have lived together, even if they have children together.

This means cohabiting partners are not eligible for tax reliefs and exemptions for spouses and civil partners, including the inheritance tax exemption and the marriage income tax allowance.

In addition, a surviving cohabitant has no automatic right to inherit their partner’s estate, meaning they might not be able to afford to stay in the family home.

Bereavement Support Payments do not apply to cohabiting couples; a cohabitant does not benefit from their partner’s contributions for the purposes of state pensions and many occupational pension schemes do not provide the same survivor benefits to such couples.

Nor do unmarried couples have a guaranteed right to ownership of each other’s property on relationship breakdown. (A court may determine the shares based on the individual circumstances of their financial arrangements.)

There are a number of legal issues to consider, across pension and family law, and the Government will now consult on the technical detail.

October 2, 2018

PM says mixed-sex couples can enter into civil partnerships

The Government has announced today that it will now commit to extending civil partnerships to all.

The commitment, announced in today’s Evening Standard, is a response to the Supreme Court decision in June that a policy of single-sex civil partnerships only is discriminatory. However, no time-frame has been provided yet for the new legislation.

Martin Loat, Chair of the Equal Civil Partnerships campaign, says:

“We welcome today’s announcement as another important step forward towards civil partnerships for all.  Legislation would be fair, popular and promote stable families. Millions of couples will join us in thanking Penny Mordaunt, the Equalities Minister, for her support in getting to this point.   A promise is a promise but what we need now is action, and soon.  The Equal Civil Partnerships campaign won’t rest until legislation is in place and we are still not there yet.

“The next Parliamentary opportunity to amend the law will be the Report Stage of Tim Loughton MP’s Civil Partnerships, Marriages & Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill on Friday 26th October.  The Campaign is waiting to hear from the Government how it will now legislate to make good on its promise.”

Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, whose battle for a civil partnership, has taken them through the British courts up to their win in the Supreme Court, say:

“This is great news and a major step in the right direction, but we will only celebrate when legislation is agreed and the Government confirms the date for when the first different-sex civil partnership can take place. Change is long overdue. We’ve been struggling for four long years to open civil partnerships to all for the millions of couples like us who want legal recognition and financial protection for their relationship.

“Now we urge the Government to finish the job so that couples such as Joanna and Steve, who has terminal cancer, can celebrate their love for each other in a way that is meaningful to them, before it is too late.”