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| Royal succession law change due | Royal succession law change due |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A 300-year-old law which gives males precedence in the royal line of succession is to be abolished. | A 300-year-old law which gives males precedence in the royal line of succession is to be abolished. |
| MPs are expected to use new equality legislation to guarantee a monarch's daughter equal claim to the throne. | MPs are expected to use new equality legislation to guarantee a monarch's daughter equal claim to the throne. |
| Solicitor General Vera Baird said the male right to succeed ahead of an older sister was "unfair". | Solicitor General Vera Baird said the male right to succeed ahead of an older sister was "unfair". |
| She told the Sunday Times that she also wanted to repeal the law forcing royals marrying Catholics to renounce their place in the line of succession. | She told the Sunday Times that she also wanted to repeal the law forcing royals marrying Catholics to renounce their place in the line of succession. |
| The current law, the 1701 Act of Settlement, means male heirs take precedence over the British throne. | The current law, the 1701 Act of Settlement, means male heirs take precedence over the British throne. |
| When Princess Anne was born she was third in line to the throne, behind her mother the Queen - then Princess Elizabeth - and her brother Prince Charles. | When Princess Anne was born she was third in line to the throne, behind her mother the Queen - then Princess Elizabeth - and her brother Prince Charles. |
| As her brothers Andrew and Edward were born she dropped down the line of succession, where she is currently tenth. | As her brothers Andrew and Edward were born she dropped down the line of succession, where she is currently tenth. |
| We can't have a law that is meant to fight discrimination and injustice but allows a blatantly sexist law on royal succession to continue Lynne Featherstone | |
| A draft of the Single Equality Bill is due to be published later this year. | A draft of the Single Equality Bill is due to be published later this year. |
| Andrew Mackinlay, the Labour MP for Thurrock who has previously raised the issue with successive prime ministers, welcomed the move but said changing the law could be difficult. | |
| Under the Statute of Westminster 1931 any change would have to be agreed by the parliaments in all countries which have the Queen as head of state. | |
| The Queen is head of state of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Australia and Canada. | |
| Mr Mackinlay said Ms Baird was "naive" if she believed Westminster could change the rules on its own. | |
| Liberal Democrat equalities spokeswoman Lynne Featherstone welcomed the proposed change. | |
| She said: "We can't have a law that is meant to fight discrimination and injustice but allows a blatantly sexist law on royal succession to continue. | |
| "This is the perfect time to change the law - when there is no-one who will be personally affected. Let's confine this outdated message that men are better than women to the dustbin of history." |