Western Isles poised for showdown over council's gay marriage ban

• Western Isles council backed registrars in refusal to conduct gay civil unions

• 150 gay Scots couples plan ceremonies from tomorrow when law effected

Key quote

"There are powers in the act which will allow the Registrar General to authorise a registrar from out of the local authority area to register a civil partnership" - Scottish Executive spokeswoman

Story in full MINISTERS are prepared to fly mainland registrars to the Western Isles to beat the ban on gay marriages imposed by officials and councillors in the islands, it emerged last night.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive made it clear that ministers wanted civil partnerships to be available right across Scotland and they would use all the powers open to them to make sure this happened.

One way they could do this would be for the Registrar General to fly in outside registrars to the Western Isles - a move which would have the Executive's full support.

Ministers were reacting to the decision of Western Isles council to support its registrars in their refusal to conduct gay marriage ceremonies.

More than 150 gay couples across Scotland are preparing to take part in the ceremonies from tomorrow when the law comes into force.

In England and Wales, more than 700 couples, including Sir Elton John and his long-term partner, David Furnish, are expected to follow when the law is enacted there on Wednesday.

However, Western Isles registrars do not want to conduct the ceremonies and this was officially endorsed by councillors at a meeting last week.

Any gay couples on the islands who want to get married will be able to get legal registration but will not be able to get a local registrar to perform a wedding ceremony.

Angus Campbell, chairman of the Western Isles' policy and finance committee, said: "It is a practical decision; our officers don't want to do them so we didn't even go into the debate."

The Rev Tim McGlynn of the Free Church of Scotland backed the registrars in their refusal to conduct the ceremonies.

He said: "To try to force them to do something they think is immoral would be unjust. But that is what is being advanced by people who are what I call bigoted secularists."

The decision by both the local registrars and the council to refuse to conduct civil partnership ceremonies has opened up a rift with the Executive, which is determined to see gay marriages available to all.

Calum Irving, director of the gay charity Stonewall Scotland, said the Western Isles move could trigger an appeal under European human rights law.

But ministers will hope that their willingness to use the powers in the legislation to thwart the Western Isles' ban will head off the threat of a high-profile legal challenge.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Executive said ministers had not received any formal notification from the Western Isles Council about gay marriage ceremonies.

However, the spokeswoman also made it clear that there were adequate powers in the legislation to deal with the problem, and the Executive would not be afraid to use them. She said: "There are powers in the act which will allow the Registrar General to authorise a registrar from out of the local authority area to register a civil partnership.

"We would hope not to have to use these powers and will look at everything on an individual basis, but the powers are available."

John Hein, the editor of Scotsgay magazine - who says he has several subscribers in the Western Isles - condemned the Western Isles' decision.

"How extremely miserable and mean-spirited of them," he said. "It is exactly what you would expect.

"What a dreadful place to live."