Stop parallel ‘marriage’ in the UK

News

Britain’s marriage laws and the protections they offer women and children are under threat from cultural drift and ministerial mis-speak. Minister for Courts Sarah Sackman recently told MPs that people appearing before sharia councils, the majority of whom are women seeking religious ‘divorces’, are doing so “in common with Christian, Jewish and other courts of faith”. She got it wrong and should return to the House to correct the record.

In law, only a civil marriage creates legal rights and duties. Christian and Jewish religious weddings are ordinarily integrated into that civil system through authorised officiants and registered places. By contrast, sharia marriages don’t comply. A UK Government review said describing sharia bodies as ‘courts’ normalises a parallel forum that the law does not recognise.

The stakes are not abstract. The Times last weekend reported that a rapist “married” his 15-year-old victim in a sharia ceremony attended by a social worker. He is now jailed for 23 years. The case underlines why a single, public, civil law of marriage protects women and children.

Meanwhile, the NHS cousin-marriage row shows how official messaging can drift. An NHS England Genomics Education Programme article suggested “benefits” of first-cousin marriage such as “stronger extended family support systems and economic advantages”. After backlash, it was removed. Health Secretary Wes Streeting told LBC: “The first I heard of this was when I saw that report, I asked immediately, ‘What on earth is going on here and what are they playing at?’”, and “The advice has been taken down but why was it ever there in the first place?”

The Minister was wrong, the social worker was wrong, and the NHS statement was wrong. We must stop the drift away from one marriage law for all. C4M proposes simple, practical steps to uphold one law of marriage for everyone:

1. Make a civil marriage compulsory before or at any religious ceremony, with clear penalties for non-compliance, exactly as recommended by the Government’s sharia review.
2. Stop legitimising private forums as ‘courts’ in official speech. There is no parity with the family courts in law or effect.
3. Enforce the law to protect women and children: no unregistered ‘weddings’, no child ‘marriages’, and professional sanctions where state officials facilitate such events.
4. Require NHS communications to be science-led and unambiguous on consanguinity risks, coupled with targeted genetic counselling and community outreach.

C4M supporters come from all faiths, and none. Practical reminders for couples and families if planning a religious wedding include: ensure the civil registration is done and the venue and officiant are authorised; if in doubt, speak to the local register office first. A civil marriage gives both spouses the protections that private ceremonies simply do not.

The principle is positive and fair. One law of marriage for all strengthens freedom, dignity and belonging. It safeguards the vulnerable and gives young couples a clear, secure foundation for life in real (man-woman) marriage. That’s something to celebrate and pass on.