An editorial in the Times has called for the Government to "resolve the legal asymmetry that prevents homosexual civil partnerships from taking place on religious premises". The Greens have become the first political party to support an end to the ban on civil partnerships being conducted in places of worship.

The new Green Party policy would allow gay-affirmative churches, such the Quakers, Unitarians and Metropolitan Community Church, to host civil partnership ceremonies for the first time. They are currently prohibited by law from hosting religious civil partnerships.
 
The near-unanimous vote was taken at the Green Party's Spring conference in London last weekend.

The policy states:
"The Green Party supports an end to the ban on civil partnerships being conducted in places of worship, whilst recognising it is up to religious bodies to make this decision and not for the state to dictate to them prohibitions on civil partnerships."

The Times concluded its editorial by saying:
"The Church — and the Government — must recognise that our liberties today should include the right of homosexuals to register the most important promise of their lives in a church."

To read the Times editorial view:
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article7036936.ece