The move is also out of step with public opinion, and risks fueling negative social trends.
One of an occasional series of articles that ConservativeHome is publishing in advance of the Budget.
My modest proposal is this: let’s do a major programme of controlled trials to test these ideas, and see what, if anything, makes a difference.
We give you divorce reform, abortion law in Northern Ireland, citizenship rights for three million Hong Kongers, and the rainbow flag.
The Government’s plans for divorce law reform are the lesser of two evils. But it needs to think more and act decisively to help couples who stay married.
Fewer marriages means more cohabitation, an inherently less stable relationship form. The Government risks ignoring the values of its voters.
The costs – personal, social and economic – of family breakdown are vast and under-appreciated. This is a social justice issue.
Two different conceptions of it are widely held in the UK, representative and direct. In 2019, they collide.
There is a mismatch between Government announcements and Commons realities. It cannot attempt reforms without risking them being amended out of recognition.
If these reforms are introduced, the Government should think carefully about how changes to the process of divorce is matched with support for married couples.
Robin Aitken, who worked for the Corporation for 25 years, accuses it of propagating liberalism and suppressing conservatism behind a pretend impartiality.
Requiring divorcing couples to assign blame often increases the acrimony, and the harm, of the process.
We need a judge-led inquiry into the impact of Sharia marriage and inheritance prescriptions on British communities.
The pandemic has put huge pressure on the courts, separated parents, and their children. Vital reforms are ready to go.