LGBTQ
Push To Allow Gay Couples To Marry In Military Chapels
Ministers are hoping to make a breakthrough in their bid to allow gay couples to marry in military chapels.
Defence minister Penny Mordaunt told MPs a pilot project will look at registering Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites for civil marriages and partnerships, which include same-sex couples tying the knot.
None of the churches permitted to use the 190 military chapels across England and Wales allow same-sex marriage to be conducted in them.
Thousands of gay couples have married since MPs approved the principle of same-sex marriage in July 2013 and it became legal from March 2014 in England and Wales.
Regulations were also implemented in June 2014 to enable naval, military and air force chapels to be registered for marriages of same-sex couples.
But Ms Mordaunt asked the chaplaincies of the air, military and naval services in December 2015 for advice on how Parliament's approval of same-sex services could be implemented in the chapels. In her latest update to MPs, Ms Mordaunt said:
"Recognising the established position of the sending churches, which does [sic] not allow for the conduct of same-sex marriages within military chapels, I have recently directed that a pilot project is implemented to explore registering Ministry of Defence sites for civil marriages and partnerships; this includes same-sex unions."
"The timing of the project is being finalised but I anticipate that it will start shortly and run for a number of months."
Tory frontbencher Ms Mordaunt was replying to a written parliamentary question from Labour MP Madeleine Moon (Bridgend).
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