and the gay lobby should certainly not seek to deny rights to others that we seek for ourselves.

'Labour and some elements of the gay lobby have claimed that this amendment would "downgrade" civil partnerships - exactly the argument and language used by hardline religious groups to oppose civil partnerships for downgrading marriage. To claim that extending rights further is in fact an act of opposition to the Bill is disingenuous.'

Labour and sections of the gay lobby have sought to portray the extension of these rights to other relationships as a 'downgrading' of civil partnerships. This is a direct echo of extreme religious organisations which have opposed the Civil Partnership Bill as a 'downgrading' of marriage.

Stonewall, the gay lobby group, has called for yet another Bill to extend the rights to other relationships, such as elderly siblings who depend on each other and wish their relationship to have legal significance. Gay Conservatives have said that this move would be entirely un-necessary, when a simple amendment to the Civil Partnership Bill would do exactly that. 'If Stonewall supports the measure, why are they opposing the amendment? Why should other people have to wait years for these rights when Stonewall wants them for the gay community now?' asked an official. 'This is simple discrimination - something one might hope Stonewall would be opposed to', he continued.