Nick Clegg: Equal marriage is one of my ‘proudest achievements’ in government

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says the government’s decision to legalise same-sex marriage in England and Wales is one of his “proudest achievements”.

The Liberal Democrat leader made the remark in an article attacking UKIP’s policies in the London Evening Standard.

Mr Clegg also criticised UKIP leader Nigel Farage for refusing to support same-sex marriage.

He said: [Farage] “refuses to support gay marriage (one of my proudest achievements in government). He has said caring about climate change may be the biggest, stupidest mistake in history. He says Vladimir Putin is the politician he admires most.

“These people must be stopped”.

Writing for PinkNews last weekend on IDAHOT (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia), Mr Clegg said UKIP would “turn the clock back” on LGBT rights.

Nigel Farage has repeatedly dismissed accusations of homophobia within UKIP.

But yesterday in a Newsnight interview, the UKIP leader appeared to suggest it was excusable to hold homophobic views if a person is aged 70 or older.

Mr Farage was defending the party’s candidate for the Newark by-election MEP Roger Helmer.

The 70-year-old recently said the public should be able to freely and openly dislike gay people, as they would different types of tea.

In 2000, while a Conservative MEP, Mr Helmer said: “The homosexual lobby wants to be accepted as a ‘valid alternative lifestyle’.

“I will argue homosexual behaviour is abnormal and undesirable.”

On 7 May, Mr Helmer dismissed accusations of homophobia.

Asked if some of his views regarding homosexuality were controversial, Mr Helmer told ITV News: “They were a couple of peripheral comments made more than 10 years ago. The world has changed, it’s a new place now.”

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