Wedding laws refresh call

‘OUT of date’ wedding laws were the subject of a debate by MPs at Westminster on Thursday.

And the national discussions were welcomed by the executive chair of Gretna Green, John Holliday, who has also called on the government to appoint a marriage tsar to lead system-wide reform.

Mr Holliday this week branded current British legislation around marriage as “absurdly out of date”, pointing out that anyone currently wanting to get married here has to abide by a statutory 28-day notice period – meaning it is now quicker to get divorced or get a UK passport than to tie the knot with the person you love.

Last year, Gretna Green launched a campaign to modernise the system for getting married. Titled ‘Love Shouldn’t Wait’, it highlighted growing industry concerns about the state of marriage in the UK - pictured.

On the back of that, Mr Holliday revealed that, for the first time in recorded history, fewer than half of UK adults are now married – with research showing that the cost of weddings, and the red tape required to get hitched, are switching many couples off.

He said: “This debate is massively overdue and critically important. How can it be right that it is now quicker to get divorced, and easier to get a passport, than to get married in the UK?

“The whole system around weddings is absurdly out of date. You still need to fill out forms in paper and ink. In a world where social ties are frying and the institution of marriage is dying, we have to send a signal that commitment is a good thing and getting married should be something simple and enjoyable.”

He thanked Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell for setting up the debate and added: “I urge all MPs to send a message to the Government that Love Shouldn’t Wait.”