Divorce rate could soar under controversial no-fault regime

The UK's divorce rate could rise significantly this year following the introduction of controversial 'no-fault' divorce legislation, an industry insider has said.

James O-Brien, who works for a company enabling "easy divorce" online, suggested the rate may surge by as much as 50% following the commencement of the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act.

The law, due to come into effect in April, removes a previous requirement to provide a statement showing irretrievable breakdown before a divorce can happen. A spouse can unilaterally end a marriage without providing any real reason.

According to one source, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is currently looking at resources to ensure it can deal with a potential peak.

CARE opposed no-fault divorce when the plans were making their way through parliament, arguing that a relaxation of rules will compound family breakdown and lead to a spike in divorces.

Speaking last year, when no-fault divorce was supposed to come into force, CARE's Chief Communications Officer James Mildred 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."