A majority of the public support a referendum on whether or not same-sex ‘marriage’ should be introduced, a new poll has revealed.
The ComRes poll, commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage, found that 54 per cent of people agree with the statement: “given the controversy over legalising same-sex marriage it should be decided by a national referendum and not just a House of Commons vote.”
Of those, 23 per cent said they were strongly in favour of a public vote on the issue. Only 26 per cent opposed the idea of a referendum.
The poll also showed that support for a referendum straddled political allegiances. 53 per cent of likely Tory and Lib Dem voters were in favour. The figure was 56 per cent for Labour supporters.
David Burrowes
Conservative MP David Burrowes, who is also a practising Christian, expressed his support for a referendum on the redefinition of marriage last year.
“I wouldn’t want to throw referendums around like confetti,” he said.
“But this is a classic issue where it should not be left to politicians without a mandate to go ahead.
“That is an issue of such fundamental importance, it will affect how society is built, but also has constitutional implications – we are not just dealing with a civil institution that the state can deal with, it is one which has a relationship with the Church and others”.
The Government’s response to the recent consultation on same-sex ‘marriage’ is due before the end of the year.
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