UKIP Regional Secretary: ‘Gay marriage is potentially a wonderful thing’
UKIP’s North East Regional Secretary gave an interesting answer when asked for his views on same-sex marriage.
John Leathley is standing for the party in Tony Blair’s former seat of Sedgefield.
Student newspaper The Tab asked the UKIP candidate if he would have voted for same-sex marriage had he been a Member of Parliament.
He replied: “In 2010, possibly – but my views have kind of changed during that time, after speaking to gay people who could see why gay marriage was useful but perhaps not necessary. They have an understanding of it, and I can see the obvious conflict it’s caused.
“Gay marriage is potentially a wonderful thing. But at that time it was very high up the political agenda when I think bigger issues were more deserving of preference, such as unemployment, the recession and EU membership.”
UKIP leader Nigel Farage has continued to oppose the reform – despite briefly suggesting in a PinkNews Q&A last summer that his position had changed.
On Thursday, Mr Farage said the party would get rid of “irrelevant” anti-discrimination laws.
