The Campaign

EqualityBill.com was started to encourage public support for the new Equality Bill, launched by the Government in April 2009.

After the bill reached the House of Lords, we narrowed our campaign to focus on one critical area where we hoped to pass an amendment. We aimed to use the Equality Bill to remove the existing ban on Civil Partnership Ceremonies from taking place in Religious Buildings.

After several rounds of debate, the amendment was passed with bipartisan support and bipartisan sponsorship, by 95 votes to 21.

When Parliament was dissolved in April 2010, the Equality Bill went into ‘wash-up’, a period in which legislation is either passed into law or dismissed entirely. During this period, the Commons accepted the amendment, and it became law on April 8th, 2010 when the bill recieved Royal Assent to become the Equality Act 2010.

The new Coalition Government has stated their intention to uphold and to implement the law.