Sarah Newton MP has refused to vote on the gay marriage bill, claiming she made the decision after promising to follow the wishes of her constituents.

However her refusal to vote for or against has led to claims she has reneged on her promise.

Mrs Newton said that during the debates over the bill, the commitment she made to her constituents when elected in 2010 had been at the forefront of her mind.

Mrs Newton said: "I promised then to represent the views of my constituents in Parliament, and to consult them closely on issues that would affect our community.

‘‘Knowing the strong views that proposals for equal marriage generate of both sides of the debate, I pledged at the time of the Marriage Bill’s announcement to vote at the Bill’s third reading according to the majority view of constituents who contacted me on this issue.

She said she had heard from hundreds of local people on this issue and with the "support from Stonewall and the Coalition4Marriage" she had been able to hold a number of public meetings on the proposals, including one at Falmouth University.

In her statement, Mrs Newton said: ‘‘The clear majority of representations to me from constituents expressed opposition to the Bill. As such, as promised to my constituents, I did not endorse the Marriage Bill at its third reading in recognition of the lack of endorsement of the Bill’s contents from the people of Truro and Falmouth.

‘‘This experience has taught me two things- first, that people really want to actively participate in our democracy, and secondly that much more needs to be done to ensure that same sex couples receive the full acceptance in our society that they deserve.

I am grateful to all the local residents who expressed their views to me, and look forward to continuing to work closely with my constituents as I redouble my efforts to help create a more engaged, more direct democracy and a fairer, more equal society.’’