Civil partnerships were introduced in Britain in 2004, giving gay couples similar legal rights to those enjoyed by married heterosexuals. Since 2014, same-sex marriage has also been legal in England, Wales and Scotland, meaning gay couples could choose to get married or enter into a civil partnership. Last January, London’s High Court rejected their claim saying the law specified that civil partnerships were only for people of the same sex, and on Tuesday that ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeal. The judges accepted there was a potential breach of the couple’s human rights but said by a two-to-one majority the government should be allowed more time to assess whether civil partnerships should be extended or perhaps even phased out. “These couple lack legal and financial security and I think many would agree that this isn’t right,” he said.

Source: Hindustan Times February 21, 2017 11:38 UTC