David Cameron vowed last night to
‘export’ gay marriage around the world as he held a party to celebrate
the passage of legislation in Britain.
The
Prime Minister told a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender reception
in Downing Street of his personal pride at legalising gay marriage.
Addressing
an audience that included BBC presenter Clare Balding and her partner,
the former newsreader Alice Arnold, Mr Cameron boasted that Britain was
now ‘the best place to be gay, lesbian or transgender anywhere in
Europe’.
Pride party at Number 10: The PM told a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender reception in Downing
Street of his personal pride at legalising gay marriage and vowed to
export it around the world. (File picture)
But
he risked controversy by suggesting that his ministers should now fan
out across the globe to spread gay marriage around the world.
‘I’m
personally proud of this,’ he said. ‘I think it’s a really good step.
I’ve told the Bill team I’m now going to reassign them because, of
course, all over the world people would have been watching this and
we’ve set something of an example of how to pass good legislation in
good time.
‘Many countries
are going to want to copy this. I talk about how we’ve got to export
more, so I’m going to export the Bill team.
'I think they can take it around the world.’
social change'
'A very good speech': Clare Balding was among
the prominent gay figures who attended, along with her partner, former
newsreader Alice Arnold
Gay marriage was passed by Parliament
despite fierce opposition from some Tory MPs and grassroots members, who
were angered by the Prime Minister prioritising the issue over economic
problems.
But Mr Cameron
signalled that he wants to go further in pressing gay rights. He told
the gathering: ‘There’s still a lot more work to be done.
'There’s work to be done talking to our Commonwealth partners about decriminalising homosexuality in various countries.
‘There’s
a lot of work to be done on homophobic bullying in schools, which is
still a scourge in our country. There’s a lot of work to be done in
terms of hate crimes and how we stop and stamp that out in our society.’
The
reception was also attended by gay rights campaigners and senior Tories
including International Development Minister Alan Duncan and former
prisons minister Crispin Blunt.
Miss Balding, who is set to marry Miss Arnold, said: ‘It was great – a very good speech by the Prime Minister.
‘He said that he had delivered on a promise and he was very proud to have done so.’
During
the event Mr Cameron, together with his team of ministers behind the
legislation, signed a copy of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.
He
said: ‘I think of young children growing up at school, who might be
uncertain about their sexuality, knowing that now, in the highest place
in the land – in Parliament – we’ve passed this law that says that
marriage is for you, whether you’re gay or whether you’re straight. And
that is so important to young people growing up.’
Legal at last: Gay marriage was passed by
Parliament despite fierce opposition from some Tory MPs and grassroots
members, who were angered by the Prime Minister prioritising the issue
over economic problems
But some of his MPs remain angry.
Former defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth said the issue was ‘deeply divisive’ for the party.
He
accused the Prime Minister of ‘seeking to extol a fundamental change in
society for which he has no mandate’ and which had been rejected by his
MPs.
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
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