Scottish Catholic Observer

A Conservative Government minister said that his party’s poor performance at the local elections is partly down to its bid to redefine marriage and Prime Minister David Cameron may respond by putting plans to change marriage on hold.

Chancellor George Osborne on Monday indicated the reforms were no longer a top priority of the government.

The chancellor said he had taken the message from voters that ministers should be focusing ‘on the things that really matter’ rather than getting ‘distracted’ by too many other issues.

Mr Osborne said he was personally in favour of same-sex ‘marriage’ but he denied there had been plans to bring forward a bill in the Queen’s speech.

Gerald Howarth, a defence minister, had said same-sex ‘marriage’ may have hurt his party after it lost hundreds of seats, including some in the Prime Minister’s own constituency.

Mr Cameron’s government is currently holding a public consultation into legalising same-sex ‘marriage’ but has indicated it is minded to support a change.

The Conservatives lost control of 12 councils and more than 400 seats, among those areas taken by Labour were Witney Central, Witney East and Chipping Norton—which are all in David Cameron’s South Oxfordshire constituency.

In October last year, Mr Howarth, the MP for Aldershot, said the Prime Minster’s plan to redefine marriage was a ‘step too far.’

Coalition for Marriage, the nationwide campaign that is supporting traditional marriage, has seen close to 500,000 people sign its petition online.