Bill Justinussen wants to roll back same-sex marriage (Official photo)

A Christian MP in the Faroe Islands has pledged to roll back same-sex marriage, if his party returns to power.

Same-sex unions have been permitted in the Faroe Islands, a self-governing region of Denmark which is home to 50,000 people, since 2017.

However, Centre Party MP Bill Justinussen has vowed to roll back the law, if his party returns to power in the August 31 elections.

Christian MP: ‘Biological reasons’ prevent same-sex marriage

According to Local.Fo, he said: “Marriage is between a man and a woman. The party and all its candidates share this opinion, and the Centre Party thus intends to change the marriage law once again, if we hopefully become part of a new coalition after the elections.

“Wrongdoings must be corrected as soon as possible. Because two people of the same gender cannot be a married couple due to biological reasons.”

Justinussen said that existing unions would remain in place, but same-sex marriage would be closed to new couples.

The right-wing lawmaker’s party has never won more than three of the 33 seats in the Faroese Parliament (Løgting), but has served in government on a number of occasions as a junior coalition partner.

Faroe Islands passed same-sex marriage law in 2016

Same-sex marriage passed the body by a vote of 19 to 14 in 2016, after polling suggested that around two-thirds of residents supported the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.

A year later, a London-based gay couple accidentally became the first to tie the knot there.

Leslie Travers and Richard McBride, 48 and 37, had wanted a quiet, fuss-free wedding, and did not find out they were the first gay couple to be married in the country until their union attracted attention from local media.

Others same-sex weddings have since taken place.

The British Overseas Territory of Bermuda became the first region in the world to roll back same-sex marriage in 2018, passing a law to re-ban unions after weddings had already begun.

However, same-sex marriages became legal for the second time in October 2018, after a second court ruling struck down the fresh law.

Same-sex weddings have been permitted in Denmark itself since 2012.