Ed Miliband has said he will not get married for political expediency, joking he had a choice about taking paternity leave because he has yet to tie the knot with his partner Justine Thornton.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, the Labour leader insisted Ms Thornton, the mother of his two young sons, was not his wife, before quipping: "Thank God for that, probably."
Mr Miliband, who is the first leader of a major political party to live with his family out of wedlock, has been criticised for failing to marry Ms Thornton, a 40-year-old Cambridge-educated barrister.
Traditionalists have also attacked Mr Miliband for not putting his name on the birth certificate of his eldest son Daniel. He claimed he was so busy he forgot.
During an interview for GQ magazine, which is out on Thursday, Morgan teased the Labour leader by continually referring to Ms Thornton as his "wife".
Asked for his views on marriage during the interview, which took place on the day he returned from paternity leave last November, Mr Miliband explained his decision.
"It's a good institution and part of having stable families, but there are also people in unmarried relationships with stable families. I don't think politicians should order people to get married."
He insisted he would eventually tie the knot. "But the more people who challenge me on it from a political standpoint, the more resistant I will become," he added.
"We'll get married because we want to get married and love each other very much, no other reason."
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