(London) The only openly lesbian member of Britain’s Parliament has exchanged vows with her longtime partner.

Eagle wore a white tailored jacket and black trousers and Exal was in a black pant suit as they entered the Registry Office at Southwark.

About 50 family and friends were on hand for the ceremony. Among the guests was Harriet Harman, the government leader in the House of Commons.

Eagle, as a cabinet minister, is the highest ranking MP to enter a civil partnership, which has all of the rights of marriage except the name.  But the first member of the Commons to have a same-sex partnership was Tory MP Alan Duncan, who exchanged wows last July with partner James Dunseath.

Eagle and Exall met at a Labor Party event in London. Exall is an engineer with British Telephone.

Eagle publicly came out in 1997 in an interview with a national newspaper and has been an MP since 1992.

The civil partnership law was passed by the Labor government three years ago.