Speaking at the Labour Party Conference on 10 October 2023, Emily Thornberry, Shadow Attorney General, announced Labour’s plans to change the current law surrounding cohabitating couples should they win the public’s vote at the next general election. Although they have not announced exactly what their plans are to reform the law, they have vowed to bring in laws which will protect the economically weaker party within cohabiting relationships. This is something which has been campaigned for by … [Read more...]
Legal Protection for Cohabiting couples – A Free Guide
It is currently believed that there are over 3.6 million co-habiting families in England and Wales with this number increasing each year. Cohabiting couples have very limited rights under the current law, and this can leave the more financially vulnerable out of the two in a very difficult situation on the breakdown of the relationship. As a result of this, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee have been campaigning for a reform of the law surrounding this in order to … [Read more...]
The ‘Myth’ of Common Law Marriage
As time goes on, marriage is on the decline. The Office for National Statistics found that opposite sex marriages have fallen by 47% since 1972. Cohabiting couples however are on the rise. It is therefore important to raise awareness of the ‘myth’ of common law marriage. As many as 46% of people in the UK continue to believe that “common law marriage” exists. Unfortunately, the law has not kept up with the changes in society. Cohabiting couples have no legal status, no matter how long … [Read more...]