No-fault divorce will increase marriage breakdown, warns columnist

The new quickie divorce law in England and Wales makes divorce “far too easy” and will lead to an increase in marital breakdown, a columnist has warned.

Writing in the Daily Mail, columnist Amanda Platell reflected on the pain caused by her own divorce and said the new law, which came into force last week, does not provide enough time for couples to attempt reconciliation.

Under The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020, couples can now divorce in six months without having to give a reason and a jilted spouse cannot contest the decision. This timescale includes a statutory 20-week period that the Ministry of Justice describes as an opportunity for couples “to reflect and turn back”.

‘Undeniable truth’

Previously, anyone wanting to divorce their spouse had to prove their marriage had irretrievably broken down through either adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, or separation for two years with their spouse’s consent, or five years without. The new law claims to make the process far easier.

Platell said: “My fear is such simplicity will lead to more divorces. After all, there’s now no need to work through the rough patches that happen in any marriage; it can all be over in months.”

The columnist highlighted that the law does not remove the acrimony caused by disputes over assets and children, saying: “However much this law tries to redefine the dissolution of a marriage as ‘quick’ and ‘no fault’, the undeniable truth remains that divorce hurts. It hurts everyone involved.”

She concluded: “My fear is that this new law heralds haste, the antithesis of lifelong commitment and the embodiment of our throwaway society. Marriage is the last institution we should be chucking in the recycling bin.”

‘Ruined lives’

Earlier this month, Colin Hart, the Chairman of pro-marriage group Coalition for Marriage, called on the Government to reconsider the law, saying: “What these changes will do is hasten the divorce process, in some cases by many years, leading to a spike in the number of break ups.

“We suspect these include many of the thousands of divorces a year that were started under the old system but were subsequently abandoned, as couples, given the space and support they needed, realised they were better off staying together.”

He concluded: “The Government is making a huge mistake ploughing on with these reckless changes – a mistake that will be measured not just by cold official statistics, but by broken families and ruined lives. We hope they think again.”