The introduction of a no-fault divorce petition is the subject of a 10 minute motion which was debated in the Commons on the 13th October.
The law should not require couples to “throw mud at each other” and instead should allow for divorce without blame. A simple signed declaration by each party to a divorce that the marriage had broken down irretrievably should be sufficient.
Research conducted by YouGov in June 2015 found that 52% of divorce petitions were fault based and that 27% of divorcing couples who asserted blame in their petition admitted the allegation was not true.
Support for no fault divorce has also come from Resolution. Their chairman has said “fault based petitions are outdated, unfair and in need of urgent reform. Its not about making divorce easier – its about making it easier for people to move on. The current system is causing couples to make false allegations to have their divorce finalised in a reasonable time. The charade needs to be ended”.
The removal of blame from the divorce process would bring England and Wales into line with other jurisdictions including the US, Australia and Spain.
