Local frustration and anger at Tory amendment to Partnership Bill

11.14.47am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th Jun 2004

A likely delay in the Civil Partnership Bill in the House of Lords, caused by a Conservative amendment has caused anger and frustration locally.

The House of Lords supported an amendment moved by Conservative peer Baroness O'Cathain supported by Norman Tebbit, which would extend the bill to cover all carers and family members living in the same property. The effect of the change would be to stall passage of the Bill as the necessary legal provisions would be completely different.

Lib Dem City Council Group Leader, Paul Elgood said: 'This is what I always feared. They were never going to let this go through the Lords smoothly. The debate in the House of Lords took us back twenty years. Some people predicted an easy ride for this legislation, however experience shows that the Tories in the House of Lords will stop at nothing to stop progress. As a campaigner for equal partnership recognition over many years I am very angry and disappointed.'

'The amendment dilutes the aim of the Bill, which is to give people such as us equal rights, and the issues it raises should be dealt with separately.'

Speaking in the debate, leading human rights lawyer and Lib Dem peer, Lord Lester of Herne Hill said: I never know whether the House is at its best or its worst when strong, emotional and psychological forces act upon us. I never know whether reason or information make the slightest difference to the verdict of the jury that is this House. But if information and reason have any relevance to this debate, I hope that noble Lords think … this amendment is, with respect, ill founded.'