Opposite sex civil partnerships to be recognised in England, May reveals

Opposite sex couples in England & Wales are to be allowed to enter a civil partnership rather than get married, the Prime Minister announced today.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Theresa May said the move would give all couples the same choices in life.

In June the UK Supreme Court ruled, in the case brought by Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, that it was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights for same sex couples to be able to enter a civil partnership or get married, while opposite sex couples could only choose marriage.

Last week the Scottish Government opened a consultation on whether to allow civil partnership to all couples, or end the status now that marriage is open to all (click here for report).

According to Government figures there are more than 3.3m unmarried couples in the UK who live together and share financial responsibilities. Nearly half of them have children.

The Prme Minister commented: "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."

Consultation will take place on the issues that arise in relation to family and pension law, but Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt said the change in the law would happen "as swiftly as possible".