Government disappoints with their response on Cohabitation Law reform

In case you missed it, the Government has now issued their response to The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee report on the need for substantive law reform to protect unmarried couples living together, and for a national campaign to educate the public on the distinct legal difference between being married, and not.

Whilst the Government have not closed the door on Cohabitation Law reform, they have kicked it into the very long grass.

It’s disappointing but perhaps not surprising that a Conservative government would shy away from engaging in law reform that might be seen to erode the sanctity of marriage. However, I had still hoped that they would take responsibility for ensuring that people understand the lack of rights for cohabitees and that being a ‘common law wife/husband’ is a nonsense. Sadly it seems that they are not going to do that either but will continue with their existing educational approach, despite the fact it’s clearly not working and doesn’t go far enough. 

If you’re interested in reading the full response, cut and paste the following into your browser:

 chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/31430/documents/176284/default/