Senior Downing Street sources have told the Daily Mail that the Government will fast track legislation to introduce equal civil marriages within a matter of weeks, bringing it before Parliament in the New Year.
Both Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg are apparently in favour of the move and have agreed to get on with the proposed legislation, as there was a danger that the matter might have slipped beyond the next General Election.
In the consultation on equal civil marriages, there was debate on whether to allow religious institutions to hold same-sex marriages if they wish to, which the original Home Office proposals did not allow.
However, despite the current disarray in the Church of England, Mr Cameron has promised that the changes will not be forced upon the Church. The plan is for individual churches that want to perform such ceremonies to be able to do so, while those that disagree will not be compelled to.
The Rt Rev Justin Welby, the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, has hinted at a softening of the Church’s stance on gay partnerships but says he supports the Church of England’s opposition to same-sex marriage.
Mr Cameron’s stance is that a stable society is made up of people who want to commit to each other and that he supports letting churches and synagogues decide for themselves, regardless of their gender, while Mr Clegg is of an equally open mind.
However, a recent poll by Comres, which regularly conducts surveys for the anti-gay equality Coalition for Marriage found that 34 per cent of 2010 Conservative voters said they would not vote Tory again if Mr Cameron fulfills his equal marriage pledge.