Thank you for contacting me about the same sex marriage bill. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my thoughts on the upcoming Equal Marriage Bill.
I suspect that I share the views of many people across Wyre Forest on this subject. It is not something that people seem to be clamouring for. I have made no secret that this is something that I am broadly neutral on. However, I am adamant that the freedom of choice for places of worship must be maintained - that no church is forced to undertake these ceremonies against their will.
I have received many letters on this subject and I have written in my Kidderminster Shuttle column that I am keen to hear from people on both sides of the debate - those in favour as well as those against. I have listened carefully to the submissions, and made some enquiries amongst the gay community as well. I have even had a number of conversations with the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Whilst most people seem ambivalent about the issue of same sex marriage, those who do have an opinion feel passionately about it. They are very concerned about the implications. As a broad indication of the responses I have had - and I have had about 300 letters on this - those against Equal Marriages outnumber those in favour by about 100 to 1.
It is for this reason that I am proposing to vote on this 'free vote' issue - and one that was not in any party manifesto in 2010 - by representing those people who have come to me, and vote against the second reading of the Equal Marriages Bill when it comes before Parliament.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Garnier MP
Constituency of Wyre Forest