Controversial no-fault divorce plans delayed by six months
Marriage and Family
Government legislation to allow no-fault divorce will not come into force this year due to a number of ‘technical issues’, the UK Government has said.
The Ministry of Justice says “more detailed scoping work” is needed before the Divorce, Separation and Dissolution Act can be implemented. It has set a new date for implementation of 6 April 2022.
CARE opposed the no-fault divorce plans when they were making their way through parliament, arguing that they will compound family breakdown and lead to a spike in divorces – already at dizzying levels in the UK.
The new law removes a previous requirement to provide a statement showing irretrievable breakdown before a divorce can happen. When it comes into force, a spouse will be able to unilaterally end a marriage without providing any real reason.
Speaking yesterday, family law expert Toby Yerburgh, a partner at the law firm Collyer Bristow, noted that concerns remain about the law, saying people are “unconvinced about the wisdom of making divorce easier”.
James Mildred, Chief Communications Officer at CARE, commented:
“Marriage is important for society and benefits parents, children, and communities. Making divorce easier undermines marriage and our concern has always been that if you make something easier to obtain, more people will choose it.
“Marriage is one of the most important public commitments one can make. Strong marriages make for strong families which make for a strong society. We call on the Government to ensure more funding for relationship support services to make sure the priority is on helping couples stay together."
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Controversial no-fault divorce plans delayed by six months