‘Let gays march down the aisle at Army bases’

Gavin Williamson says that ‘unacceptable barriers’ for civil marriages on MOD land must be torn down

GAY members of the Armed Forces should be able to marry on military bases, the Defence Secretary has said.

Gavin Williamson has called for law changes to end “unacceptable” barriers to civil marriages and partnerships on Ministry of Defence sites.

He has written to Penny Mordaunt, the women and equalities minister, urging her to address the issue as a “matter of urgency”.

He said: “It is unacceptable that due to the drafting of current legislation, same-sex couples and those wanting a civil ceremony are prevented from getting married on military bases.”

Although a law allowing gay marriage was passed in 2013, such ceremonies are banned by the Church of England and other denominations that provide military chaplains. In 2016, the Ministry of Defence ran a pilot scheme into holding civil ceremonies on military bases. However, the law states that any premises that hold civil ceremonies must be “made available to the public for use”.

The Ministry of Defence therefore decided that opening a military base to the public for civil ceremonies would present an unacceptable risk.

Mr Williamson wants to change the law so that only those with a “demonstrable link” to the Armed Forces can hold weddings on MOD land. The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office have both argued that there is “no appetite” to amend the legislation.

However, in a letter to Nia Griffiths, the shadow defence secretary, Mr Williamson has made clear that he wants to overhaul the law.

He said: “I want to make sure that all those who want a civil marriage, civil partnership and same-sex marriage in the Armed Forces receive the same treatment as their counterparts who wish to marry in religious ceremonies. That is why I have asked the department to look in to all the options on making this a reality and have written to the minister for women and equalities pushing the issue.

“I would like the relevant legislation to be changed so that all members of the Armed Forces, whether they want religious ceremonies, civil partnerships or marriage or same-sex marriage, are treated equally.”

The Army ended a ban on gay and lesbian people serving in the Armed Forces in 2000 following a landmark case in the European Court of Human Rights.

The Army and Navy have both since been named by Stonewall, which campaigns for LGBT rights, as among Britain’s top 100 Lgbt-inclusive employers.

Mr Williamson added: “The current legislation does not allow for the MOD to limit who is married, and who attends civil marriages, civil partnerships and same-sex marriages. This presents difficulties in protecting the security of MOD sites.

“I have asked the Department to work on how we can fix this anomaly and have written asking for legislative change.”