Since 2004, when the Civil Partnerships Act was passed in Britain, gay couples can be recognized under a ‘civil partnership’ and are afforded the same legal treatment as married couples with regards to a wide range of matters; however, the 2004 law stopped short of terming gay partnerships as a ‘marriage.’

On Sunday, George Osborne, Britain’s Shadow Chancellor and member of the Conservative Party, met with gay rights leaders to discuss equality issues and advancing the issue of gay marriage in Britain.  Britain’s Conservative Party leader, David Cameron, has suggested in an interview with Total Politics magazine that same-sex marriage is no different than traditional marriage:

“I stood up… and said that marriage was important, and as far as I was concerned it didn’t matter whether it was between a man and a woman, a man and a man or a woman and a woman”.

Although the present Government introduced same-sex civil partnerships some years ago, it has stopped short of calling these ‘marriages’.

Last year Mr Cameron said that any tax break for married couples introduced by the Conservative Party would also apply to same-sex couples in civil partnerships.

The Conservative Party in Britain is showing progress toward marriage equality for all, regardless of sexual orientation, and is beginning to take steps to move the country forward on issues of gay rights, including marriage equality.