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Labour commitment ceremony U-Turn


Cllr Vearncombe: Labour 'shabby and shameful'

Deputy Chairman of Gay Conservatives Michael Vearncombe today rounded on Brighton Council for its 'shabby and shameful' behaviour over commitment ceremonies in the borough.

The Labour-led authority had planned to raise the cost of same-sex 'commitment ceremonies' - whilst leaving the charge for registry offices marriages at the lower rate.

Cllr Vearncombe said, 'Labour tried to profiteer from commitment ceremonies. Their plans show what Labour really thinks of the gay community and it is right that they have been forced to rethink this price hike.

'Yet again Labour's treatment of the
Key Quote
Yet again Labour's treatment of the gay community is shabby and shameful
Michael Vearncombe
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gay community is shabby and shameful'.

Labour planned to raise the charge by more than 50 percent from £97.50 to £155 - while the rate for a standard marriage, open only to heterosexual couples, stayed at £97.50.

Brighton Council has signed up to the national campaign for civil partnerships, but Gay Conservatives have now questioned the commitment of Brighton Council's Labour administration. A spokesman said that the move was an indication of Labour's closet bigotry: 'If Labour in local authorities use commitment ceremonies as a way to impose discriminatory charges against gay couples, how can they be trusted with civil partnerships? We will be watching very closely to see whether Brighton Labour's discrimination will spread to other Labour councils'.