(Image source: Parliament.uk ) BY SOLE MALDONADO AYUSO ANCHOR ZACH TOOMBS British Lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday in the House of Commons that legalizes gay marriage in England and Wales. The bill passed with overwhelming support, 400 votes for and 175 against. But it will still need approval in the House of Lords before becoming law but its passage there is widely expected. Before the vote, UK Prime Minister David Cameron voiced his own views, telling Channel 4: “The gay people should be able to get married too. This is yes about equality but it is also about making our society stronger. I know there are strong views in both sides of the argument, I respect that, but I think is an important step forward for our country” . But Cameron’s conviction is not shared by all of his party colleagues. Of the 175 votes against the bill, 150 of those came from fellow Tories. Conservative Edward Leigh says he doesn’t approve because: “We should be in the business of protecting cherished institutions and our cultural heritage; otherwise what, I ask, is a Conservative Party for? We are alienating people who have voted for us all of their lives, leaving them with no one to vote for.” But not only does that position put many Tories at odds with the Prime Minister, but also the general population. ICM polls conducted since March show a strong shift in favor of gay marriage. As of December 62% were in favor while 31% opposed the idea. The approval of the gay-marriage bill is bittersweet for the Prime Minister as it highlights a rift in his party. As emphasized by The New York Times, gay marriage is one of many issues where the Prime Minister butts heads with his party. But, as conservative David Borrowes notes, the opposition to Cameron from within in the party itself is very revealing. “We are divided, as is the country, on the issue of gay marriage. This is unprecedented, to have so few of the government benches supporting a government bill, with Cabinet ministers, law officers and others. We must have to reflect on whether we are all in this together”. If the bill is approved by the House of Lords, United Kingdom will join a dozen countries which have already allowed marriages between people of the same sex — among them Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Norway and Spain.