Men can be 'wives' and women 'husbands' as British Government overrules the dictionary

Civil servants have overruled the Oxford English Dictionary and hundreds years of common usage effectively abolishing the traditional meaning of the words for spouses.

The landmark change is contained in the fine print of new official legal guidance drawn up for MPs and peers as the Government’s same-sex marriage bill is debated.

It comes as part of a Government initiative to “clarify” what words will mean when gay marriage becomes law.  But critics described it as the vocabulary of “cloud cuckoo land”.

It follows claims by opponents of the redefinition of marriage that universally understood terms such as father and mother might be simply deleted by bureaucrats on official forms.  Instead officials have decided to allow the words for the spouses to be used interchangeably for people of either gender in some contexts.

The guidance gives the example of some early health and safety legislation drafted in 1963 which includes a range of exemptions for family businesses where the terms husbands and wives will mean people of either gender.

A spokesman for the Coalition for Marriage, which campaigns against the change, said: “We always knew the Government would tie itself in knots trying to redefine marriage, and this shows what a ridiculous mess they’ve created.

“This mangling of the English language shows what happens when politicians meddle with marriage.  “They’re in cloud cuckoo land.”

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