Senior Tory MP Penny Mordaunt has called on the Church of England to allow same-sex marriages in church.
The Leader of the Commons has written to the Bishop of Portsmouth urging him to back reforms that would allow vicars to conduct same-sex marriages.
The Cabinet minister, writing in her capacity as a constituency MP, says the CofE is increasingly out of step with its counterparts in Scotland and Wales, where the clergy are being allowed to take these services.
“I want all my constituents and others to be able to have the right to have their relationships solemnised in their local parish in England,” she wrote.
“It is also important to recognise the pain and trauma that this continues to cause many LGBT+ people who are left feeling that they are treated as second class citizens in within our society.”
CofE ministers are currently legally barred from conducting same-sex marriages, and they cannot be held in church.
However, there are increasing calls for changes to be made.
Senior Labour MP Chris Bryant, a former priest, shared Mordaunt’s letter and said: “Well done Penny. It’s time for the church to catch up and embrace those who love one another.”
Another Labour MP Ben Bradshaw added: “Excellent letter from Penny Mordaunt. Respect.
“Many MPs from across parliament have written or spoken to their local Church of England bishops in a similar vein. A moment of truth for our established church.”