England: Civil partnerships to be extended to different-sex couples

The right to a civil partnership will be extended to different-sex couples in England and Wales, Prime Minister Theresa May has announced.

In June, the Supreme Court said the existing law on civil partnerships was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court declared that sections 1 and 3 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, to the extent that they preclude a different-sex couple from entering into a civil partnership, are incompatible with article 14 taken in conjunction with article 8 of the ECHR.

Mrs May has now announced at the Conservative Party’s conference in Birmingham that the UK government will legislate to extend civil partnerships to different-sex couples as well as same-sex couples.

She 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.”

A consultation was launched last week seeking views on the future of civil partnerships in Scotland.