Tory Whip Anne Milton refused to vote on same-sex marriage because she didn’t ‘feel strongly’ about it
Conservative MP Anne Milton, a former health minister and now a government whip, declined to vote this week on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill because she did not feel “strongly about it”.
The Guildford MP was among 35 Tories who did not vote on the bill – 136 Conservatives voted against.
Having received more than 1,000 letters against the government’s marriage reforms, Ms Milton told GetSurrey.co.uk “I didn’t feel able to vote on the legislation.”
She continued: “This is the first of four votes and I am going to see what happens in the committee. I’ll know more at the end of that stage.”
Asked what her personal views were on equal marriage, she replied: “I don’t feel strongly about it. If I felt very strongly for it or against it, that’s how I would have voted.
“I’m happy for it to be voted on a second time, which I think will be a good thing. People with views on the issues will have a chance to be heard.
“It’s not fair to say I have fudged it. I didn’t feel able to vote for it but I didn’t feel able to vote against.
“It’s a vote for the bill to be heard a second time.”
