Heterosexual couple becomes first to enter into civil partnership in British Isles

The Isle of Man has different rules to the United Kindgom on civil partnerships

Kieran Hodgson, 22, and Adeline Cosson, 24 are the first ‘civil partnership’

A heterosexual couple has become the first to enter into a civil partnership in the British Isles.

New laws passed on the Isle of Man, which is not part of the UK, permitted opposite-sex couples to enter civil partnerships, instead of getting married.

Adeline Cosson, 24, and Kieran Hodgson, 22, have now become the first couple to do so.

They said they did want to get married one day, but decided to have a civil partnership initially.

Ms Cosson, who is from central France, said it was common practise in her homeland.

“We didn’t want to call it a marriage, we wanted to call it a civil partnership. We were told we were the first ever. We are very proud to do it,” Ms Cosson told the Guardian.

“It helps couples move forward without having to get married right now. In France, everybody can get a civil partnership.”

The news comes after a heterosexual couple from England who wanted to enter into a civil partnership lost their legal bid to be allowed to do so.

Rebecca Steinfeld, 34, and Charles Keidan, 39 – academics who have been in a committed relationship since 2010 and have a baby – lost a case at the High Court.

The couple from Hammersmith, west London, received 36,000 signatures on their petition “calling for civil partnership equality”.

They have been granted permission to take their case to the Court of Appeal.