The Government has announced that they will seek to extend civil partnerships to couples of the opposite sex.

CARE Spokesperson James Mildred said:

“Coming off the back of the Government’s rush to implement no fault divorce, coupled with today’s announcement it’s a double whammy.

“There is a real narrative developing that this is a Government unwilling to back marriage.

“We recognise that for some civil partnerships reflect a genuine desire to commit. We think though that marriage is the gold standard of commitment.

“Making marriage more fiscally accessible should be a priority for this Government, given the huge benefits it brings to adult well-being and child development.

“We have historically low marriage rates in this country and family breakdown is estimated to cost a staggering £51billion a year.

“The Government should be focusing its efforts on developing and announcing pro-marriage, family friendly policies.

“There’s a real danger that today’s decision, however unintentional will just further undermine marriage.”

Our comments were picked up across many different media outlets:

• Christian charity accuses government of 'undermining marriage' – Premier Christian News

• Civil Partnerships announcement: is this Government unwilling to back marriage? – The Catholic Universe

• Civil partnerships to be extended to heterosexual couples – Christian Today

• Heterosexual civil partnerships 'leave out God', says Bishop - The Tablet

• The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail print editions, please see below.

To to read more about this, plus our Family Policy Officer's thoughts, please click here.