Cameron, Clegg and Miliband: Britain is ready for a gay Prime Minister
The UK’s main three political leaders say there’s nothing to stop a gay politician from running the country.
Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband were all asked if Britain was ready to accept a gay PM by readers of GT (Gay Times).
Mr Cameron said: “The heart of this issue is this: equality matters. People should be valued for who they are and what they contribute. It’s a person’s character that matters. Their sexual orientation –whether they are gay or straight – should be neither here nor there. We want people to achieve their maximum potential, whether as a worldleading scientist, an entrepreneur or even Prime Minister, because it is a person’s ability to do the job that counts. I am proud to be PM of the country judged to be the best place to live in Europe if you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans – and the government I lead is doing everything possible to fight prejudice where it remains.”
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg replied to the question: “Yes and why not? Being gay doesn’t affect how you work, how you interact with people or how you make decisions. I’m confident that the British people would judge him or her on their ability to lead and be a good prime minister and not on who they choose to share their life with.”
Labour leader Ed Miliband also agreed Britain would accept a gay PM. “Yes. I think the world has changed a lot,” he said. “If you think about the way the world has changed in the last 20 years since I was at college we’ve seen the repeal of Section 28, we’ve seen civil partnerships, the lowering of the age of consent, equal marriage and that has been driven by change in social attitudes and that is why I think absolutely it’s foreseeable to have a gay Prime Minister.”
