A leading peer last night warned other members of the House of Lords it would be "politically suicidal" for them to stand in the way of gay marriage.
Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Fowler said it would be wrong to defeat the same sex marriage Bill in the Lords when it had been passed by MPs.
He was speaking as peers debated plans to allow gay couples the same rights to marry as heterosexual couples in England and Wales.
The Scottish Government plans to bring forward similar legislation to allow gay marriage in Scotland.
Outside the House of Lords, campaigners on both sides of the debate held a vigil and sang songs in an attempt to sway peers' opinions.
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