A Westminster bill calling for same sex marriage in Northern Ireland has passed its first parliamentary stage. A Westminster bill calling for same sex marriage in Northern Ireland has passed its first parliamentary stage. Conservative peer Lord Hayward tabled the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Bill in the Lords on Tuesday afternoon. The ban on same sex marriage is one of the disputes at the heart of the powersharing impasse in Belfast, with the Democratic Unionists resisting Sinn Féin calls for a law change. Ahead of formally introducing the bill on Tuesday, Lord Hayward said: "It gives me great honour to launch the Westminster campaign for equal marriage rights in Northern Ireland in the House of Lords."

Source: Irish Independent March 27, 2018 18:22 UTC