Thank you for contacting me about marriages.
I share your concerns about the current marriage laws and agree that meaningful change needs to take place. You may be interested to know that when the Government held a consultation on this in 2014, most respondents were in favour of changing the law to allow legally valid non-religious belief ceremonies in unrestricted locations.
I know that the Government wants to reform marriage ceremonies to ensure a simple, fair and consistent legal framework, so that people can have a wedding meaningful to them. With this in mind, the Government announced in June 2019 that the Law Commission would conduct a fundamental review on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of the project, the Law Commission considered how a scheme could include weddings conducted by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations and where weddings should be able to take place.
The Law Commission published their final report in July 2022, concluding that the current rules were "confusing, out-of-date and restrictive". The Commission recommended significant changes to marriage laws which would enable couples to get married in a variety of new locations, including on beaches and in private homes.
I understand the recommendations seek to ensure all couples, and all belief groups, whether religious or non religious, will have the freedom to decide where and how their weddings will take place.
The Government has confirmed that it will carefully review the Commission's report and respond in due course. The proposed reforms would be the biggest shake-up to marriage laws since the nineteenth century. I look forward to reading the Government's response after they have had time to consider the recommendations.
I believe that the requirement for venues to be seemly and dignified should be maintained. However, I welcome that, alongside the Law Commission's review, outdoor civil wedding and partnership ceremonies at approved premises in England and Wales have already been legalised. This change was initially introduced as a temporary measure but was extended indefinitely on 6 April 2022 following analysis of the public consultation results which were published on 15 March 2022. It offers greater choice to couples in a boost to the wedding sector after a very challenging period.
Thank you also to those constituents who contacted me about the Parliamentary reception being held by the Association of Independent Celebrants. Whilst I cannot attend on this occasion due to prior commitments in Parliament, I can assure you I will look very closely at the Government's response to the Law Commission's report on marriage law reform when it is published, including the role of celebrants specifically.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
