Nicky Morgan claims she would vote for gay marriage if given a second chance

The education secretary and equalities minister had previously voted no

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan (Getty)

Nicky Morgan has changed her mind on gay marriage.

The education secretary and equalities minister voted against the bill last year.

She was of 175 MPs who were against gay marriage, although the bill was passed in July 2013 with the support of 355 MPs.

Morgan was made education and equalities minister after she had voted as part of a government reshuffle. She replaced Michael Gove.

“I had a lot of constituents who asked me to vote in a particular way and I listened to them and it was an issue of conscience too, but I have certainly learned an awful lot doing this job,” she told BBC Radio 4 on the Today programme this morning.

“I think I probably would [vote in favour of gay marriage]. But at the end of the day, as a member of parliament, I’m also here to represent my constituents … I wish that people had come forward earlier to say: ‘Actually, we’d like you to support it.’

“I suppose for some people it was… obvious but actually I think it was something that we needed to discuss and to debate.”

Morgan is currently in the process of implementing another piece of legislation surrounding the issue.

“I am working hard with ministerial colleagues to deliver the final piece of this which is allowing people to convert from civil partnerships to same-sex marriages,” she said. “We are hoping we are working towards a date in December to get that done.”

Last year, she told local paper Leicester Mercury that marriage should be “between a man and a woman”.

“I think that was one of the issues people, especially those who asked me to vote against, found hardest to accept and it also tied in with my own Christian faith too,” she said.

“I totally support civil partnerships and that same-sex relationships are recognised in law. But marriage, to me, is between a man and a woman.”