From British weekly The Observer:
Cabinet split over new rights for gays
· Blair backs Ruth Kelly in church row
· Faith schools seek equality opt-outGaby Hinsliff, political editor
Sunday October 15, 2006
The cabinet is in open warfare over new gay rights legislation after Tony Blair and Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, who is a devout Catholic, blocked the plans following protests from religious organisations.
See also here.
“Devout Catholic” is an euphemism.
The real problem is that Ms Kelly is a member of far Right Opus Dei, founded by an ally of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, who had Federico Garcia Lorca, the greatest poet of twentieth century Spain, murdered for being gay, along with many hundreds of thousands of others.
Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary, was so angry with the move that he wrote a letter to Kelly three weeks ago, telling her that the new rights should not be watered down.
The battle between what is being dubbed the government’s ‘Catholic tendency’ and their more liberal colleagues centres on proposals to stop schools, companies and other agencies refusing services to people purely because of their sexuality.
Tony Blair, who sent three of his children to Catholic schools, is said to be anxious about the impact on faith schools and faith-based adoption agencies, which are demanding to be exempt from the law.
Update: here.
Update July 2007: here.