As soon as the government announced plans to bring in gay marriage, it was clear that the press was going to turn the vote on it into a referendum among Tory MPs on Cameroon modernisation. Even, though, it is a ‘free vote’, a failure to secure the support of at least half the parliamentary party for the bill was going to be treated as a blow to Cameron’s authority. But rather than leaning into this fight, Cameron has shied away from it. Absurdly, he isn’t even on the front bench for the opening of today’s debate and one has to go back months for his last major public statement on the issue.
Cameron’s decision to vacate the field is a mistake for several reasons. First, no one explains the Conservative case for gay marriage better than him. His absence has denied Conservative campaigners on this issue their best weapon. If he had led, more Conservatives would have followed and voted yes tonight.
Second, if Cameron had made clear how important he views this issue as more Conservative MPs would have supported it.
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