One of the umpteen things people don’t elect a Tory government for is to make marriage more easily dissoluble. In the last year for which figures were available, 2017, the number of opposite-sex marriages was the lowest on record – just shy of 243,000 – and I’m not sure that’ll be boosted by making marriage even easier to get out of, which is what Boris Johnson’s government has just done.
The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation bill which has just received royal assent means that a spouse can now start divorce proceedings by stating simply that the marriage has broken down – currently, one spouse has to allege that adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion has taken place.
The law also removes the possibility of contesting the divorce – until now if it is contested, it means that the couple must live apart for five years.
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