Theresa May Needs to Bring Anti Gay Rights Scotland into her Government to Stay on 10 Downing St.
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| What a difference a day make! Here Some Uk Lawmakers Celebrate Same-Sex Marriage in England. It is those rights which Scotland has never approve of or most gay rights for that matter. Theresa May needs to bring them (Scottish) into her government in order to have a coalition to keep her at 10 Downing St. |
The Scottish Secretary David Mundell has called on the Democratic Unionist Party to "change its position" on LGBTI issues.
Theresa May is due to meet the DUP leader Arlene Foster on Tuesday to finalize a deal on propping up her minority government.
Mr. Mundell, the Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweeddale who has been reappointed Scottish Secretary, became the first openly-gay Conservative Cabinet secretary when he came out in January 2015.
Questioned on the DUP's stance on gay rights, he said he does "not subscribe" to the Northern Irish party's position.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the British Isles where same-sex marriage remains outlawed.
The DUP has repeatedly used a controversial Stormont voting mechanism - the petition of concern - to prevent legalization despite a majority of MLAs supporting the move at the last vote.
Mr. Mundell told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland program: "I don't subscribe to the DUP's position on these issues but the DUP will not be influencing these decisions within the rest of the United Kingdom.
"We're not in anyway signing up to the DUP manifesto. Most of these issues are devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly."
He added: "I would like to see the DUP change its position, and indeed Northern Ireland as a whole change its position, on LGBTI issues.
"Ruth Davidson has been very clear on that, she actually went out to Northern Ireland and set that out, so they can't be in any doubt where they stand on these issues.
"I think change is brought about, certainly in Northern Ireland, by persuasion, by people working together and the best way actually to achieve these is to get the Northern Ireland Assembly back up and running, and I hope that will also be possible."
Nicola Sturgeon has said careful scrutiny of any deal with the DUP will be needed to guard against any rollback of equalities legislation and has also raised concerns about the impact on the Northern Irish peace process.
Writing in the Daily Record, she said: "The Good Friday Agreement requires the UK Government to be an impartial broker between parties in Northern Ireland and it would be shameful if, in the Tories' pursuit of power, they jeopardized the chances of a return to devolved government in Northern Ireland."
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