BRITISH MPs have resoundingly backed plans to extend same-sex marriage and access to abortion to Northern Ireland, providing no government is in place at Stormont by October 21st.
In a meeting at the House of Commons, MPs resoundingly backed two historic votes, with the results greeted with jubilation by equalities campaigners.
The changes represented the culmination of two campaigns put in place by backbench Labour MPs who successfullyargued that the previous claim that the chances could only be put in place by the devolved Northern Irish government no longer held weight as it had been suspended since 2017.
Labour MP Stella Creasy tabled the first amendment, requiring the government to extend access to abortion in Northern Ireland, which was passed by 332 votes to 99, a majority of 233.
We did it!! Huge thanks to @ConorMcGinn Lord Hayward and all MPs who voted in support of the bill. LGBT people in NI will be waking up a little more equal tomorrow #LoveWins
— Love Equality NI (@Love_EqualityNI) July 9, 2019
Fellow Labour MP Conor McGinn tabled the same-sex marriage amendment legislation, which, was approved by 383 votes to 73, a majority of 310.
Ministers have already promised to respect the results meaning that, unless Sinn Fein and the DUP break their deadlock over the running of the devolved government, the vote could have a major impact for the people of Northern Ireland.
WE DID IT !!!!!
The House of Commons has voted by a massive majority to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland if the Stormont Executive isn’t restored by 21st October.
Thank you to @Love_EqualityNI & the thousands of people who have campaigned for equal marriage. pic.twitter.com/TDalAw1VIg— Conor McGinn MP (@ConorMcGinn) July 9, 2019
Reacting to the news, campaign group Love Equality Northern Ireland took to Twitter to praise McGinn's efforts.
"We did it!" they wrote.
"Huge thanks to Conor McGinn, Lord Hayward and all MPs who voted in support of the bill.
"LBGT people in Northern Ireland will be waking up a little more equal tomorrow. #LoveWins".
“There are some basic human rights and it is untenable that people in parts of the UK do not enjoy them."
- Labour MP Stella Creasy on her amendment on abortion, as well as the equal marriage amendment, that MPs backed today@stellacreasy | @maitlis | #newsnight pic.twitter.com/H869M2ag4o— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) July 9, 2019
