New divorce laws. The Government should produce new plans to help marriages – not just to end them

Apr 17, 2019 by

by Frank Young, Conservative Home:

[…]  When we ask the public for their view, three in five (60 per cent) adults agree that ‘divorce is too easy’. The idea that even uttering the word “marriage” is taboo isn’t reflected in what people (the ones who live and work far away from the Westminster bubble) actually think. Over two thirds (67 per cent) of adults agree that ‘marriage tends to be the most stable environment in which to raise children’ and even more (approaching three quarters – 71 per cent) think ‘marriage is important and the Government should support couples who get married. Even a majority of young people (aged 18-24) agree that marriage is important.

The Government has now formally announced plans to bring forward a White Paper to legislate for no-fault divorce, following a consultation last year. This after a long campaign by family lawyers stretching as far back as the mid-1990s and the passing of the 1996 Family Law Act which introduced the concept of no-fault divorce. The provision lay dormant for years until the The Times picked up the campaign and pushed government into making this their flagship family policy.

[…]  Evidence from surveys of couples who have divorced find that more than a fifth of divorcees regret their divorce and the relationship. The relationships charity, Relate, found that one in ten couples who have been through the process of divorce told them that, with the right support, they would have been able to save their relationship and stay together. That is one in ten who have seen their relationship deteriorate to the point of seeking divorce. Through simply looking at legal process (in a campaign led by lawyers) these proposals overlook effective policy interventions to support couples.

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