'Gay marriage could lead to fathers marrying their sons,' claims actor

Actor Jeremy Irons claims that gay marriage could lead to fathers getting married to their sons - for tax reasons.

The 64-year-old claimed he didn't have 'strong feelings' about same-sex marriage but said it could be used to allow fathers to pass estates on to sons without being taxed.

Speaking to Huffington Post Live host Josh Zepps, Irons asked: 'Could a father not marry his son?'

He claimed incest laws could not prevent it from happening because: 'It's not incest between men. Incest is there to protect us from inbreeding but men don't breed.'

The Borgias star added that he wishes 'everybody who's living with one other person the best of luck in the world because it's fantastic'.

'Living with another animal, whether it be a husband or a dog, is great,' he said.

'It's lovely to have someone to love. I don't think sex matters at all. What it's called doesn't matter at all.'

Father-of-two Irons also spoke on the battle for recognition of same sex marriage, as opposed to civil unions.

'It seems to me that now they're fighting for the name. I worry that it means somehow we debase, or we change, what marriage is. I just worry about that,' he added.

A spokesman for lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall told Huffington Post UK: 'Few people will agree with Jeremy Irons' bizarre "concerns" about equal marriage.

'Sadly his comments do seem to indicate he's taken his role as a Pope in The Borgias a little too seriously.'