Following on from our earlier news article “Being unhappy is not a ground for divorce” and the ruling in the recent case of Owens v Owens, the government has now announced their consultation on introducing “no fault divorce” meaning couples will no longer be able to contest the breakdown of a marriage which will bring an end to the requirement of providing evidence in support of one of the following five facts:
- Adultery
- Unreasonable behaviour
- Desertion
- You have lived apart for more than 2 years and both agree to the divorce
- You have lived apart for at least 5 years even if the other spouse does not agree.
Responding to last week’s reports that the Government intends to consult on these plans. Resolution’s former Chair and longtime campaigner for reform, Nigel Shepherd, said:
“Today’s news has the potential to be a landmark moment for divorce law in England and Wales. Resolution has been leading the campaign to end the blame game for over thirty years. For far too long, couples have been forced into needless acrimony and conflict in order to satisfy an outdated legal requirement.
“Every day our members see the devastating impact conflict can have on families. Apportioning blame can lead to long-term damage to relationships between children and their parents, and can undermine attempts to resolve matters outside of an already overstretched court system.
“Since 1996, there have been 1.7m people who have assigned blame in the divorce process. Many didn’t have to, and every day that goes by sees that number grow.
“The government appears to have heeded our calls to make our divorce system fit for the modern age, and we will continue to push for this much-needed, overdue reform to be implemented as soon as possible.”
If you need any advice in relation to divorce or relationship breakdown, or any matters arising from those, please do not hesitate to contact our expert family team on 0161 330 6821 or email:
Denise Pinder – dpinder@bromleys.co.uk
Helen Boynton – hboynton@bromleys.co.uk
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The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.