Senior Tory warns over pagan weddings

Voters would think MPs had "lost the plot" if they allowed pagans, Freemasons and spiritualists to conduct marriages, a senior Tory said today.

Sir Tony Baldry, who represents the Church of England in the House of Commons, said he already had enough problems trying to persuade voters in his rural Oxfordshire constituency of Banbury about the need to legalise gay marriage.

He said that in Scotland, couples were allowed to marry in pagan weddings, spiritualist ceremonies and with the help of other lesser-known groups. If MPs decided to extend the same rights to groups in England, voters would think they had "lost the plot", he said.

Sir Tony's comments came as MPs debated the Government's controversial Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for a second day. The legislation, which was opposed in one vote by 150 MPs last night, is expected to clear the House of Commons later.

Before it does, Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams (Bristol West) is trying to include an amendment which would allow humanists to conduct marriages. Labour is supporting the amendment, but Sir Tony - Second Church Estates Commissioner - warned it could pave the way for a host of little known groups to seek charity status so they could conduct marriages.

He told MPs: "If we can just go to the Scottish example ... we have seen in Scotland pagan weddings celebrated, spiritualist weddings celebrated and weddings celebrated by the White Eagle Lodge.

"I think this is a question that ought to have been properly consulted on with our constituents. I can't speak for other MPs, but I have had enough problems in my constituency with same-sex marriage.

"If I go back to the shires of Oxfordshire and tell them that Parliament's now about to endorse in England pagan marriage they'll think that we'll have lost the plot completely. If they think then that Labour is supporting pagan marriage and masonic marriage then they really will think that we've lost the plot."

Mr Williams insisted groups such as pagans and Jedi knights would not be able to carry out marriages because of his amendment.

He said: "I do not believe that the charity commissioners of England and Wales would register Jedi knights, white knights, druids, pagans or anyone else you wish to conjure up as a charity so they would not come into the provisions of this."