UK government will not block restoration of traditional marriage in Bermuda

The flag of Bermuda (Getty Images)

The territory becomes the first in the world to abolish same-sex marriage

The British government will not block a new law abolishing same-sex civil marriage in Bermuda, Prime Minister Theresa May has said.

The British territory redefined marriage after a court ruling in May last year. However, a new law, which only permits same-sex couples to form ‘domestic partnerships’, was approved on February 14, over-ruling the court decision.

The UK government has the power to block the change in Bermuda, but Prime Minister Theresa May said that although she was “seriously disappointed” by the reversal, the UK’s relationship with overseas territories was based on “respect”.

Bermuda’s minister of home affairs, Walton Brown, stated that many Bermudans are against same-sex marriage. He said: “The act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female”.

According to a YouGov poll released on February 9, only 29 per cent of people in Britain thought the UK should intervene so that Bermuda maintains same-sex marriage, while 39 per cent thought Bermuda should be allowed to abolish it.