THE TRUTH ABOUT MARRIAGE IN THE MANIFESTOS

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On Wednesday, we published what the main English parties say about marriage in their individual manifestos. To build on this, I was joined by Tim Dieppe from Christian Concern, to discuss the nuances around marriage, gender and education. A summary of the key points is provided below but you can listen to our full discussion here.

Tim notes that among the main political parties, explicit support for marriage is notably absent. The Conservative manifesto mentions ‘marriage’ twice he says, to oppose child marriage and to express pride in enabling same-sex marriage. Labour does not mention marriage at all. The Liberal Democrats focus on recognising humanist marriages and extending legal rights to cohabiting couples, which Tim argues would “undermine marriage further”.

The Reform Party proposes a 25% transferable marriage tax allowance and front-loading child benefits to the early years.

Tim also highlights several smaller parties that support marriage and family values, such as the Scottish Family Party, the SDP, the Heritage Party, and the Christian Peoples Alliance. These parties, while not fielding candidates nationwide, are recognised by Tim for their robust pro-family policies and commitment to marriage. Additionally, the DUP is noted for its pro-family stance, contrasting with the more progressive positions of other national parties including the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

On gender and transgender issues, Tim says the Conservatives promise to define sex in the Equality Act as biological and to ensure terms like “chestfeeding” and “birthing parents” are not used in the NHS. Labour intends to simplify the gender-recognition process but retain the need for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The Liberal Democrats advocate for full gender self-identification, removing medical requirements and the spousal veto, as well as recognising non-binary identities in law.

Regarding education, Tim says the Conservative Party pledges to give parents a legal right to see what their children are being taught in relationships and sex education. Labour’s position is less clear, with ongoing internal debates about reversing guidance on gender-questioning children.

Tim’s analysis reveals that support for man-woman marriage is missing from all the manifestos of the main political parties.

C4M calls on all political parties to adopt pro-family policies that support and promote real marriage and family values. Doing so would bring about the best outcomes for adults, children, society and the nation.