Lords division · 8 Jul 2013 · No. 4

Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill

Lord Elton moved amendment 55, in clause 9, page 10, line 28, at end to insert: “(3A) Regulations under subsections (1) and (2) shall in particular provide that the conversion of a civil partnership to a marriage shall take place in a registered building with open doors in the presence of two or more witnesses and in the presence of either: (a) a registrar of the registration district in which the registered building is situated, or (b) an authorised person whose name and address have been certified in accordance with the regulations by the trustees or governing body of that registered building or of some other registered building in the same registration district. (3B) Where the conversion of a civil partnership to a marriage takes place in a registered building each of the parties to the civil partnership shall, in some part of the ceremony and in the presence of the witnesses and the registrar or authorised person, make the following declaration: “I do solemnly declare that I know not of any lawful impediment why I, AB, may not be joined in matrimony to CD.” and each of them shall say to the other: “I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, AB, do take thee, CD, to be my lawful wedded wife (or husband)”. (3C) As an alternative to the declaration set out in subsection (3B) the persons contracting the marriage may make the requisite declaration either: (a) by saying “I declare that I know of no legal reason why I (name) may not be joined in marriage to (name)”; or (b) by replying “I am” to the question put to them successively “Are you (name) free lawfully to marry (name)?”; and as an alternative to the words of contract set out in that subsection the persons to be married may say to each other “I (name) take you (or thee) (name) to be my wedded wife (or husband)”.” The House divided:

The Not Contents have it

Majority 69

Contents: 15 Not Contents: 84

At a glance The Not Contents won by a margin of 69 votes. The Government's position was Not Content, and it won. This was not a whipped vote, so no party line applied.

How the parties voted

Contents

Conservative	8
Crossbench	3
Democratic Unionist Party	2
Bishops	1
Independent Ulster Unionist	1

Not Contents

Labour	30
Conservative	23
Liberal Democrat	19
Crossbench	8
Non-affiliated	4

The party breakdowns are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.

Peers attend divisions ad hoc, so there is no did-not-vote list. Tellers are counted in the Content and Not Content totals, unlike in the Commons.

Tellers: Baroness Cumberlege (Content), Baroness Butler-Sloss (Content), Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Not Content), Lord Newby (Not Content).