Euro Minister Chris Bryant to Enter Partnership and Predicts Marriage across Europe in a Decade

March 01, 2010

Europe Minister Chris Bryant and his partner will tie the knot and enter a civil partnership this month in a ceremony to be held in parliament.

Speaking to PinkNew.co.uk, Bryant said he and his partner Jared Cranney said the ceremony would take place on March 27 and in the MPs’ dining room, which can seat 150.

 
Bryant personally invited Prime Minister Gordon Brown but is unaware at this stage whether he will attend.
 

“I asked him last night and they’re trying to sort out his diary but we don’t know. The prime minister never talks about his diary before for security reasons.”

Currently same-sex unions are prohibited on religious grounds, although certain parliamentary members, peers, and MPs are permitted to marry in the Chapel of St Mary in parliament.

Bryant rejected the idea that Britain – where work remains to be done in offering gay people full legal protections – should cancel aid to those countries with a hard-line toward gay poeple, such as the proposed death penalty legislation in Uganda.
 

“Of course that seems attractive at first sight, but the thing is, why is development there? It’s to rescue people out of poverty, it’s to make sure kids get to go to school, it’s to make sure that women are treated equally with men and it’s to put food in people’s tummies.

Image author: Stefano Bolognini
 

“And I think its wrong to use that for politics, for political reasons. So I’d prefer to make the argument of yes, we’re supporting you, but we also have expectations.”

He also predicted that gay marriage would be legal across Europe in 10 years.

"I never thought that Ireland would introduce legislation on this [gay marriage] for the reasons others have cited about religion, but it is happening. So I am optimistic. I think in the next 10 years we will see it across the whole of Europe," he said.