Ed Balls today revealed that his uncle was gay and would have liked the right to a same-sex marriage.
The shadow chancellor revealed the family secret as he spoke out in support of the campaign for gay marriage — and said gay couples should be able to marry in church.
In a video message for pressure group Out4Marriage, Mr Balls said he was proud that Labour had advanced gay rights while in power by repealing Section 28, equalising the age of consent and introducing civil partnerships. “And now we should go further and say to people regardless of their sexuality, people who want to get married should be able to do,” he said.
“Twenty years ago my uncle came out in his fifties as gay — and he died, I’m afraid, before he and his long-term partner could have a civil partnership. But actually in our family we would have liked him to have gone further and to have got married. It’s what he would have wanted, I believe.”
Mr Balls said he would not name his late uncle because he wanted to maintain the family’s privacy.
David Cameron has pushed ahead with plans to allow same sex marriage despite opposition from some bishops and Tory Right-wingers.
Mr Balls went further than the government proposals, which would not allow such ceremonies to be held in churches or other religious buildings. He said: “I also believe that somebody who is religious and a churchgoer, if the church community wants it in that church, I think people should be able to get married in church too.
“I really hope the Government will look at that proposal as well. This is something whose time has come.” Mr Balls’s wife, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, also made a video for the campaign. She said: “We should support those religious institutions and churches that want to hold same-sex marriage ceremonies. I think that churches like the Unitarians and Quakers should be able to if they want to.”
Politicians who back gay marriage include Home Secretary Theresa May but Mr Cameron has said he will give Tory MPs a free vote on the issue. The proposal was not in the Queen’s Speech, prompting speculation that he was getting cold feet. However, government sources say legislation will be prepared after a consultation ends next month.
