The Evangelical Alliance has hailed an employment tribunal's ruling in favour of a Christian registrar "a triumph for the place of conscience in public duties".

The tribunal ruled unanimously on Thursday that Islington council had discriminated against Lillian Ladele after she refused to perform same-sex civil partnerships because of her Christian faith.

Dr Don Horrocks, Head of Public Affairs at the Evangelical Alliance said, "This is an important landmark judgement because it conclusively confirms that where there are competing rights a balance has to be struck which treats the respective rights equally.

"The tribunal made it clear that it would be wrong for one set of rights to trump another.

"This decision underlines that, despite some recent claims to the contrary, freedom of religious conscience must be protected by law in the same way as any other human right and that employers must take a person's religion and belief fully into account when considering policy and action."

Dr Horrocks urged other local authorities to guarantee the same protection to employees of different faiths in light of Thursday's ruling.

"The demands of conscience and civil duties can and must co-exist," he said. "We would call on local politicians to take note and live up to the challenge of this benchmark decision.

"We commend Lillian Ladele for her bravery in standing up for her faith in such intimidating circumstances."