Prime Minister David Cameron was the bill's biggest backer (Creative Commons/bisgouvuk)

British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the passage of the bill as a positive moment for the UK. From the BBC:

"Today is an important day. I am a strong believer in marriage. It helps people commit to each other and I think it is right that gay people should be able to get married too," he said.

"This is, yes, about equality. But it is also about making our society stronger. I know there are strong views on both side of the argument - I accept that. But I think this is an important step forward for our country."

The bill was approved 400-175, despite strong opposition from within Cameron’s Conservative Party.

Only 132 Conservatives voted in favor of the bill, with the majority of votes coming from the opposition Labour Party and the Liberal-Democrats, who form a coalition government with the Conservatives.

Some members of the Conservative Party, including those with close ties to the Church of England, said the bill was “Orewellian” and that the government had no right in redefining marriage.

The bill is now headed to the House of Lords where, according to The Guardian, in the past “there has been strong opposition” to gay marriage legislation. But given the overwhelming vote in the House of Commons, it is similarly expected to pass in the House of Lords before officially becoming law.

Reach Executive Producer Salomon Fuentes here; Follow him on Twitter here.