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| Nicky Morgan: I've changed mind and support gay marriage | Nicky Morgan: I've changed mind and support gay marriage |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Equalities minister Nicky Morgan says she has changed her mind and "probably would" vote in favour of same-sex marriage if the vote was held now. | Equalities minister Nicky Morgan says she has changed her mind and "probably would" vote in favour of same-sex marriage if the vote was held now. |
| Mrs Morgan, who also serves as education secretary, was one of 161 MPs to oppose the legalisation of same-sex marriage in May 2013. | Mrs Morgan, who also serves as education secretary, was one of 161 MPs to oppose the legalisation of same-sex marriage in May 2013. |
| She told the BBC she welcomed "anybody who enters into a commitment". | She told the BBC she welcomed "anybody who enters into a commitment". |
| And she added that a major influence in her vote had been constituents asking by "10-to-1" for her to oppose it. | And she added that a major influence in her vote had been constituents asking by "10-to-1" for her to oppose it. |
| Mrs Morgan said she was currently working with other government ministers on how civil partnerships could be converted into same-sex marriages from December. | Mrs Morgan said she was currently working with other government ministers on how civil partnerships could be converted into same-sex marriages from December. |
| She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that although she could understand why people thought it noteworthy that she had "voted a particular way and now she is equalities minister", she had voted largely on behalf of her constituents. | She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that although she could understand why people thought it noteworthy that she had "voted a particular way and now she is equalities minister", she had voted largely on behalf of her constituents. |
| "We are all, as Members of Parliament, here to represent, to listen, to hear, to change minds but I have a lot of constituents who asked me to vote in a particular way and I listened to them and it was an issue of conscience too. | "We are all, as Members of Parliament, here to represent, to listen, to hear, to change minds but I have a lot of constituents who asked me to vote in a particular way and I listened to them and it was an issue of conscience too. |
| "But I have certainly learned an awful lot doing this job." | "But I have certainly learned an awful lot doing this job." |
| In an interview with the magazine Pink News, Mrs Morgan said of her previous voting position: "I take it for some people it's not difficult at all. It was completely obvious, just sort of overdue for many people. But I think that, if we as a country want to talk about tolerance, and respect, I think we all have to understand that there are some things that are obvious for some people, and less so, or need more explanation, for others." | |
| She said she "probably would" vote differently if the vote was now but "at the end of the day as a Member of Parliament I'm also here to represent my constituents and as I've said I had requests of 10-to-1 asking me to vote against it. I wish people had come forward earlier to say that 'actually we'd like you to support it'." | She said she "probably would" vote differently if the vote was now but "at the end of the day as a Member of Parliament I'm also here to represent my constituents and as I've said I had requests of 10-to-1 asking me to vote against it. I wish people had come forward earlier to say that 'actually we'd like you to support it'." |
| She later told the BBC she welcomed the fact that 1,400 same-sex couples had married under the new law. | |
| She was speaking as she unveiled plans for the government to spend £2m tackling homophobic bullying in schools. | She was speaking as she unveiled plans for the government to spend £2m tackling homophobic bullying in schools. |
| Mrs Morgan said that "young people can sometimes use language either thoughtlessly or deliberately, particularly around the use of the word 'gay'. | Mrs Morgan said that "young people can sometimes use language either thoughtlessly or deliberately, particularly around the use of the word 'gay'. |
| "For a young person who is perhaps thinking about coming out or is unsure of their sexuality - being called names is something that will mean that they won't want to go to school." | "For a young person who is perhaps thinking about coming out or is unsure of their sexuality - being called names is something that will mean that they won't want to go to school." |
| She said that "in some cases of course it can lead to other problems, not only not getting your qualifications - but things like mental health problems as well". | She said that "in some cases of course it can lead to other problems, not only not getting your qualifications - but things like mental health problems as well". |