Tory MPs have staged the biggest rebellion in party history to vote against their own Government’s plans to 
legalise same-sex marriage.
The final tally of vote showed that 134 Conservative MPs voted against the Bill on Tuesday night, with 22 Labour MPs also opposing the Bill.
The vote is seen as a major embarassment for Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured), as it exposes a deep division within his own party.
The Government had already said that MPs could oppose the Bill without losing the whip, however, despite this, Tory MPs had been left in no doubt that the party leadership wanted as many as possible to vote in favour, the Daily Mail reports.
Senior Tories had suggested before the vote it was crucial for Mr Cameron to win over more than half of his party – a benchmark he failed to meet.
Overall, 400 MPs backed the measure, which was opposed by 175. However, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition had to rely on the support of Labour MPs to pass the measure.
Only 126 Conservative MPs voted in favour of the legislation, despite last minute pleas from Mr Cameron and senior Cabinet ministers to vote in favour of the bill.
Hours before the vote he launched a last ditch attempt to persuade Tory MPs to back same-sex marriage, arguing it will “make our society stronger,”.
‘I am a strong believer in marriage. It helps people commit to each other and I think it is right that gay people should be able to get married too,’ he said.
And George Osborne, Theresa May and William Hague used an open letter to wavering Tory MPs to declare it “is the right thing to do at the right time”.
But scores of Tories rejected the plea of their leader. The Labour Whips office suggested that 139 Tories had voted against the Bill. Dozens more did not vote including several government ministers.
Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson voted against the legislation, thought to be the only senior minister to do so.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and Attorney General Dominic Grieve were the two most senior figures to stay away from tonight’s vote, after the vast majority of Cabinet figures agreed to back the PM. Housing minister Mark Prisk also did not vote.
However, Mr Cameron will be relieved that former leader and current Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, both of whom had been considered as possible opponents of the bill, ultimately voted in favour.
Around 20 Labour MPs voted against the bill at second reading, along with Lib Dem MPs Gordon Birtwistle and Sarah Teather, a former education minister.
The result meant a record number of Tory MPs rejected the leadership’s policy, far greater than the 95 Conservatives who voted against gun law reforms introduced by the Major government during the 1990s.
During a fractious and at times deeply personal debate, Tory MPs lined up to condemn the policy.
Ministerial aide David Burrowes said he had received death threats about his opposition to the measure and his children had been taunted and told “their dad’s a bigot”.
Salisbury MP John Glen warned it would cost the Tories votes at the 2015 election while Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, said he had “serious misgivings” about assurances from ministers about ensuring that religious freedom will not be compromised.
Former minister Edward Leigh said: “We should be in the business of protecting cherished institutions and our cultural heritage otherwise what, I ask, is a Conservative Party for?”
Culture Secretary Maria Miller was accused of pushing a policy which was an ‘irrelevance’ which did not feature in the Tory party manifesto.