Britain's Europe Minister Chris Bryant became the first homosexual lawmaker to celebrate a civil partnership ceremony in the Houses of Parliament, the British newspaper Mail On Sunday said.
The 48-year-old member of the governing Labour Party for Rhondda, a former Church of England clergyman, tied the knot with his partner Jared Cranney, a company secretary, the paper said.
The ceremony reportedly took place on Saturday at the Palace of Westminster, in the Members' Dining Room overlooking the Thames.
The paper quoted a statement released by the couple afterwards as saying they were 'enormously grateful' to House of Commons speaker John Bercow and Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman, who helped the couple to get a license to hold the ceremony in the Parliament, for making the 'really special day' possible.
"We never thought this day would come - and never thought we'd have to worry about cakes and flowers and rings," they said, adding "it's amazing how much things have changed in such a short time."
Bryant, who had become a member of the House of Commons in 2001, met his partner Jared Cranney on the local election campaign trail in April last year, Mail On Sunday said.
Some 40,000 same-sex British couples entered into a civil partnership since gay marriages were officially permitted in the country in December 2005. Sir Elton John was one of the first to celebrate marriage with his long-time partner, Canadian filmmaker David Furnish, on December 21 that year.
In 2006, then-deputy environment minister Ben Bradshaw became the first MP to enter into a civil partnership, with BBC journalist Neal Dalgleish. Currently, Bradshaw serves in Britain's Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
LONDON, March 28 (RIA Novosti)
