On 1 December, the Government responded to a question in the House of Lords on humanist marriage: Hansard records the following exchange, [1 Dec 2014 Vol 757 (66) Col. 1112]:

Question: Asked by Lord Harrison

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish their response to their consultation on humanist marriage.

Lord Ashton of Hyde (Con): My Lords, the Government have consulted on whether the law should be changed to allow legally valid humanist and, potentially, other non-religious belief marriages. We are considering the responses we received and the implications for marriage law and practice if a change were to be made. We plan to publish the Government’s response to the review before 1 January 2015.

Lord Harrison (Lab): My Lords, given what now appears to be the insincere government pledge to see this legislation through before the next general election, will the Minister nevertheless acknowledge Continue reading →