Legal background Extension of civil partnership
Section 1 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 provides that a civil partnership is a relationship between two people of the same sex, which is formed when they register as civil partners of each other.
	Under section 3(1)(a) of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, two people are not eligible to register as civil partners of each other in England and Wales if they are not of the same sex. Equivalent restrictions apply to eligibility for registration in Scotland and Northern Ireland under section 86 and section 138 of the Act.