The leader of the House of Commons, the Rt. Hon. Penny Mordaunt has called upon the Church of England to bless same-sex marriages.

Writing in her capacity as a constituency MP for Portsmoutn, Ms. Mordaunt wrote to the BIshop of Portsmouth to tell him the church was out of step with the Scottish Episcopal Church and Church in Wales on the issue of gay marriage.

Ms. Mordaunt stated he wanted all of her “constituents and others to be able to have the right to have their relationships solemnised in their local parish in England.”

“It is also important to recognise the pain and trauma that this continues to cause many LGBT+ people who are left feeling that they are treated as second class citizens in within our society.”

The cabinet minister’s letter comes as the House of Bishops of the Church of England meets this week to finalize its views on same-sex marriage in preparation for the February meeting of General Synod.

Ms Mordaunt, who launched an unsuccessful bid to become prime minister following the resignation of Boris Johnson last year, has been a long-time gay rights activist with a twin-brother who is gay. A keen advocate for state support for homeopathy, Her letter comes amidst a lobbying campaign to persuade the Church of England to adapt its teachings to secular culture.