The breathing space provided by the prorogation of Parliament has sadly not been used well, with the Government pushing ahead once again with their damaging divorce bill.

The new Bill introduced into the Lords is a carbon copy of the one introduced in the Commons a few months ago. Concerns arose around the previous Bill not receiving adequate scrutiny, with the Government rushing ahead and the Bill only receiving 47 minutes of debate at Committee stage

The Bill has had to restart its progress through Parliament from the beginning, so Peers and MPs will now have the opportunity to properly scrutinise the Bill, consider its worth and amend the worst aspects of the Government’s proposal.

CARE’s Concerns

We have serious concerns about the stated aims of the Government and the way no-reason divorce will play out in reality.

The Government has ignored the overwhelming opposition to their proposals from the public. The consultation on the proposals last year found that a staggering 80% of those who responded did not agree with the proposal to replace the five facts with a notification process, while a mere 17% were in favour.

Children need safe, stable and nurturing relationships to thrive. These thoughtless proposals will undermine marriage and damage children in the long term.

We will once again work hard to oppose this new Bill and uphold the Christian vision of stable families that benefit all of society.