Clause 16 - Sections 10 to 15: marriage exception
Sexual Offences Bill [Lords]
9:30 am
Mr Stephen Hesford (Wirral West, Labour)
Is that not the difficulty? If the couple are lawfully married for all other purposes and we accept, in civil jurisdiction, bipartisan recognition of marriages, I am not sure how far the hon. Gentleman can take his argument. We would be making exceptions and criminalising what, for civil purposes, we recognise to be lawful marriages.