
A Conservative MP became the centre of jokes on Twitter after he asked why siblings couldn’t also legally become civil partners.
Referring to the government’s recent decision to legalise mixed-sex civil partnerships, he posed the following bizarre question:
Why should siblings who’ve lived together for years have to pay estate duty when one dies? See Lord Lexden’s bill earlier this year.
Why should siblings who've lived together for years have to pay estate duty when one dies? See Lord Lexden's bill earlier this year.— Sir Edward Leigh MP (@Sir Edward Leigh MP) 1538495093
Edward Leigh is referring to HL Bill 25, which seeks to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to including “sibling couples” who have lived together for 12 years or more, introduced by Lord Lexden.
Still, the tweet was ripe for the picking and people couldn’t help but point out its silliness.
BREAKING: Tory MP launches campaign to legalise incest. more on this as it develops. https://t.co/OwGpJ5JH2G— michael segalov (@michael segalov) 1538560785
LOOL What on earth? https://t.co/Ja0H659Bkd— CEO of Yelling (@CEO of Yelling) 1538495164
The tweet elicited lots of giggles.
Errrr... you OK hun? 🧐 https://t.co/61gkBTXZq0— Sirena Bergman 🌈 (@Sirena Bergman 🌈) 1538492406
"Asking for a friend." https://t.co/QIeQpFC5fo— Chris Brookmyre (@Chris Brookmyre) 1538497301
And the jokes kept coming.
@EdwardLeighMP At a guess I’d say it’s because nobody is romantically involved with their siblings— James Felton (@James Felton) 1538492150
@EdwardLeighMP What the bloody hell are you on about you flannel— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) 1538491816
What isn’t funny is his 20 year anti-LGBT+ voting stance. He voted against equal rights 22 times and for them just once.
In 2000, Sir Edward campaigned to save Section 28, which banned schools in England and Wales from ‘promoting’ sexuality, and repeatedly voted against the Marriage (same sex couples) Bill in 2013.
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