Gay marriage bill
in Queen's Speech

The Government has confirmed it will introduce legislation to give all the rights and privileges of marriage to gay couples. The announcement came in the Queen's Speech.

Read our press release...

Free speech in danger
as police hound bishop

The Christian Institute is appalled that the Bishop of Chester is being investigated by the police merely for stating orthodox Christian doctrine. In a newspaper interview the Bishop suggested that some homosexuals can ‘reorientate’ themselves.

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Howard could have blocked
reclassification of cannabis

The Conservative Party leader, Michael Howard, could have defeated Government plans to weaken the law on cannabis, but instead chose not to ask Tory Peers to vote against the plans in the Lords.

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Lords vote in favour of
weaker cannabis laws

Governemnt plans to downgrade the cannabis laws have been forced through the House of Lords.

Peers voted by 63 to 37 in favour of reclassifying cannabis, but expressed concern about the health implications for young people.

More information (including how MPs and Peers voted)...

Attempt to weaken
age of consent law

The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats have tabled amendments to the Sexual Offences Bill which weaken the age of consent law.

The Government is expected to reject the amendments.

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Proposals to ditch
marriage certificates

The Government plans to scrap marriage certificates, scrap the legal content of marriage declarations and permit novelty and fantasy weddings. It also wants to phase out birth certificates and death certificates.

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Government's gay
marriage plans

The Government is proposing to introduce a form of “gay marriage”. It plans to allow homosexual couples to register a “civil partnership” at a registry office. Their new legal status will entitle them to the same rights as married couples.

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Softer cannabis laws
put before Parliament

The Home Secretary's plans to weaken the law on cannabis have been officially laid before Parliament.

A vote on the proposals is expected before Christmas.

Publication:

Read our booklet which demolishes the most popular arguments for softer cannabis laws Click here

Blunkett accepts Lords' ban
on sex in public toilets

Sex in public toilets will become a specific criminal offence, the Home Secretary has announced.

David Blunkett reluctantly accepted a House of Lords amendment to the Sexual Offences Bill which bans all sex in public toilets.

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Lords reject giving parents
more say over sex lessons

A proposal to give parents more control over their child's sex education has been rejected by the House of Lords.

The proposal, put forward by Baroness Blatch, was an attempted to give children more protection. This was in light of the Government's determination to repeal Section 28.

The plan was defeated by 180 votes to 130.

Government unveils
'gay marriage' plans

Plans to give vitually all the legal rights of married couples to same-sex couples have been announced by the Government.

The Christian Institute opposes these plans because they equate holy matrimony with homosexual acts.

Read our briefing on 'gay marriage'

Major Government U-turn over
churches' employment freedom

Parliament has passed new employment 'equality' regulations.

The regulations on sexual orientation include significant new protections for religious groups.

The new protections were introduced after a last-minute U-turn by the Government.

more...

Lords block 'legalisation'
of sex in public toilets

The House of Lords has defeated the Government over plans to effectively legalise sex in public toilets.

Peers voted by 133 to 95 in favour of an amendment which bans all sexual activity in public toilets.

Which Peers voted which way?

Read the House of Lords debate

Churches are being squeezed into a secular mould

Colin Hart on BBC Radio4

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Institute's religious liberty
campaign hits the headlines

The national press and broadcast media have reported the Institute's campaign against new laws which stop religious organisations having the freedom to employ like-minded staff.

Click here for more.

New laws threaten
freedom of association

Proposed new laws will stop religious organisations having the freedom to employ like-minded staff. Religious groups will be forced to employ people who don’t share the organisation’s views.

“This is like banning the RSPCA from taking action against its Director who is found to have shares in a fur-trading company” said Christian Institute Director Colin Hart.

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New equality laws ‘substantially’
restrict religious liberty

Top legal academics have accused the government of undermining religious freedom. They say that the Government has decided to implement an EU Employment Directive without granting the full range of safeguards which are permitted under EU law. All religious faiths will be affected.