Sexual Orientation Regulations vote

In a nutshell

A vote on whether to accept the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

The details

On 19 March 2007 MPs voted on the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs). The SORs outlawed discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services, the management and disposal of premises, education and by public authorities. The legislation included exemptions for basic church activities but none for Christian-run commercial bodies or state-funded Christian work.

The SORs applied to Great Britain and were secondary legislation enabled by the Equality Act 2006.

The Conservative Party allowed its MPs to vote according to their conscience. The Labour Government whipped its MPs to support the Regulations. It is not clear whether the Lib Dems whipped their MPs to vote in favour of the SORs.

Because the SORs were a statutory instrument the Government was not required to put them before the whole Commons chamber for debate. Instead they were considered for just one and a half hours by a Commons Delegated Legislation Committee on 15 March 2007. Those attending frequently referred to and complained about the fact that the committee was convened at short notice, that the time available to debate the regulations was so restricted, and that amendments could not be made.1 See our briefing on the SORs’ timetable for more detail on the rapid progress of the regulations.After the SORs were approved by the Committee, the Commons was only required to vote to ratify that approval. Several MPs used points of order to complain at the “unseemly haste” with which the Government had driven the Regulations through.2

The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 were approved by 310 votes to 100.

How we recorded the vote

  • Voted against the Sexual Orientation Regulations which restrict religious liberty
  • Voted for the Sexual Orientation Regulations which restrict religious liberty
  • Abstained or was absent on the vote for the Sexual Orientation Regulations which restrict religious liberty
  • 1House of Commons, Twelfth Delegated Legislation Committee, Draft Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007, 15 March 2007, cols 3-10
  • 2House of Commons, Hansard, 19 March 2007, cols 644-645