A sell out audience packed into Cheltenham Town Hall for a television debate.

More than 100 people took part in the It's Your Shout debatCotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has rejected the Tory party line by calling for gay couples to be allowed to adopt children.

His comments were made this week at Cheltenham Town Hall during a debate for the ITV show It's Your Shout.

The two issues discussed were the vote on government proposals to allow unmarried and gay couples to adopt children and the collapsed trial of Paul Burrell.

Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says the adoption proposals are against children's interests.

But Mr Clifton-Brown said: "I think we've got to take a more adult approach on this matter and look at the child.
"I don't think we should exclude same-sex couples from adopting."

Audience member Nick Mazonowicz, from Cheltenham, said: "I'm very cynical about marriage. I'm divorced and I don't think marriage seems to give any stability."

On Mr Burrell, butler to Diana, Princess of Wales whose trial collapsed when the Queen intervened, Mr Clifton-Brown said: "The Queen isn't above the law but she is part of our legal system. The way she participates in this sort of case needs to be very well thought out.

"I hope we will have a thorough inquiry to see exactly what went wrong."

The panel for the programme also included former MEP Baroness Christine Crawley and the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Rev Richard Harries.