Philip Hammond: Same-sex marriage opponents should ‘get used to it and move on’
Tory Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has said that he is now accepting of same-sex marriage, and claimed critics should ‘get used to it and move on’.
Hammond came out against same-sex marriage in 2012, and last year said there was “no demand” for same-sex marriage and that it was “upsetting vast numbers of people”.
He was one of the most senior ministers to abstain from major Commons votes on same-sex marriage last year, but later voted with the government in favour of secondary legislation.
He told the Andrew Marr Show yesterday: “Parliament made a decision to allow same sex marriage.
“It’s now in place. The people who have been opposed to this, people who’ve had concerns about it, will get used to it, they will move on, and there are many other battles to fight in the future.”
“We’ve done it and I, like all my colleagues across Government, have been involved in the process of making sure that the introduction of same sex marriage is smooth and effective.”
He also attempted to mitigate his previous position, saying: “I was never against the principle. My concern was about the pace. But that’s history.”
