London mayor Boris Johnson has urged British prime minister David Cameron quickly to pass legislation allowing gay marriages to be sanctified by religions willing to host them.
The issue, which is to be decided by a free vote of MPs in the Commons next year, is causing major friction within the Conservatives, with many local party groups opposed.
However, Mr Johnson said Mr Cameron should “whack gay marriage through” so that the Conservatives can get on with “the real Conservative things we want to do”.
Nineteen senior Conservatives, including Mr Johnson and education secretary Michael Gove, have joined a new Conservative group, Freedom to Marry, led by a former minister, Nick Herbert.
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