"I believe my party should never flinch from the requirement that we must continue this progression, otherwise we may end up like the Republican party who lost an election last year that they could have won were it not for their socially conservative agenda. We may have gone two steps forward, but I fear we may have gone one step backwards. The modernisation of the Conservative party is not yet complete."

Source: Gay marriage debate: Tory MP warns party not to follow the Republican road by Nicholas Watt, www.theguardian.com. February 5, 2013.