The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Bill to be introduced by Conservative peer Lord Hayward this afternoon is identical to a bill which Labour MP Conor McGinn will present in the Commons tomorrow.

Lord Hayward said: “It gives me great honour to launch the Westminster campaign for equal marriage rights in Northern Ireland in the House of Lords.

“I am pleased to introduce the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Bill in the Lords with the support of the Love Equality campaign from Northern Ireland. The strength of public opinion for equal marriage rights in Northern Ireland will be shown by the petition they are due to present to Downing Street later this week.

“I am particularly delighted to launch the Bill in the presence of Ulsterman John Henry, whose powerful story moved me and so many others in recent weeks.”

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty’s Northern Ireland programme director, said: “We welcome this important intervention by Lord Hayward. Our preference has always been for the Northern Ireland Assembly to pass marriage equality legislation, in line with the overwhelming support which exists among the public here.

“However, without functioning devolution for the last 15 months, we now look to Westminster to legislate.

“Lord Hayward’s Bill, in parallel with Conor McGinn’s Bill in the Commons later this week, is a powerful demonstration of cross-party, cross-parliamentary support for equal marriage in Northern Ireland.

“We call on the UK Government to introduce its own legislation to ensure equality can now become law for Northern Ireland couples. Discrimination against LGBT couples in Northern Ireland can no longer be tolerated.”