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MP Sir Peter Tapsell under fire after same-sex marriage vote
Sir Peter Tapsell.
Louth and Mablethorpe’s MP Sir Peter Tapsell has come under fire after he voted against the Same Sex Marriage Bill in Parliament last week.
Sir Peter, the longest serving MP, was one of 136 Conservative members who voted against the law change which would allow couples of the same sex to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies.
In the case of religious institutions, ceremonies would go ahead with the consent of that particular institution.
He was joined by nearby MPs Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes), Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) and Karl McCartney (Lincoln), in voting against the bill, but overall the House of Commons voted 400 to 175 in favour.
MPs were not bound by their party whips and were able to vote ‘with their consciences’ on the matter.
Although Sir Peter didn’t speak during the debate in Parliament his constituents appear disappointed by his stance.
Sarah Mcnamara said: “I am sure many voters considerably over the age of 25 in their 30s and beyond (like myself) feel misrepresented and let down by our local MP.”
Kathryn Axton said: “From the mouth of my six-year-old daughter: ‘Mummy, why are they arguing about it? If they love eachother everyone deserves to be happy!’”
However Lee Brind disagreed. “Same sex marriages are wrong and should never be allowed. It goes against everything the bible teaches us,” he said on the Leader’s Facebook page.
David Simpson, MP for Upper Bann in Northern Ireland, said in the House of Commons: “In the garden of Eden, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”
Prime Minister David Cameron declared the vote ‘an important step forward’ that would make for a stronger society.
Sir Peter has since said he voted against the Programme Motion, which would set a timetable for the bill’s progress through the Commons, despite a ‘three line whip’.
“I thought it gave insubstantial time for the details of the Bill to be discussed and amended, on the Floor of the House before it goes to the House of Lords,” he said.
What did you make of Sir Peter’s vote? Email sam.kinnaird@jpress.co.uk, use the comment box below, or join in on Facebook.
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Sunday 19 May 2013
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