Gay Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams promoted to junior minister in government reshuffle

Openly gay Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, has been promoted to junior minister during today’s government reshuffle.

Mr Williams, the MP for Bristol West,  has been made a junior minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The move was confirmed in a tweet from the official Number 10 Twitter account on Monday, as more changes were announced amid the reshuffle.

Stephen Williams has been appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary at @CommunitiesUK #reshuffle

— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) October 7, 2013

Following the announcement, the official Liberal Democrat Twitter account tweeted a picture of Stephen Williams alongside Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston, the Tory peer who was in charge of guiding the equal marriage bill for England and Wales through the House of Lords, has also been promoted to work in the same department.

During the debate around equal marriage, Mr Williams joked that his favourite song was ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA.

In May, Mr Williams named same-sex marriage as one “great social reforms of this Parliament” in his humble address welcoming the Queen’s Speech.

The Queen’s Speech itself did not have any references to one of the Coalition Government’s most controversial and debated policies, introducing same-sex marriage in England and Wales.

Mr Williams, who was selected by the Chief Whip to make the address, has been a long-term supporter of changing the law and served on the public bills committee that has taken the bill through some of its Parliamentary process.

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