Government plans equal rights for cohabiting couples
The government is consulting on reforms that would give unmarried couples in England and Wales similar legal rights to married partners, including financial and inheritance rights.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government has announced plans to give cohabiting couples in England and Wales the same legal rights as married partners. The proposals, which are now the subject of a consultation, would affect an estimated three and a half million unmarried couples living together.
Under the plans, couples who have lived together for at least three years or who have a child together could gain extra financial rights if they separate. If one partner dies without a will, the other would get automatic inheritance rights. Couples would be able to opt out of the changes.
The move reflects a significant social shift. Cohabiting couples are the fastest growing demographic in the UK, and the number of marriages has fallen by more than half since peaking in the early 1970s. For many, like Molly and Patrick, who have been together for five years and are saving to buy a home in Cheshire, marriage is not part of their plans. "We just wanted to do something differently," they said.
But the reforms are not without controversy. Critics argue that automatically imposing a new legal framework on cohabiting couples raises serious questions about consent and fairness. One legal expert said it would be "a brand new, very intrusive framework without the consent of the couple involved" and that it ran contrary to the principles of English law.
The Ministry of Justice is now deciding on the scale of change after a lengthy consultation. For some, the reforms are long overdue; for others, they represent an attack on freedom of choice.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| Couples will be able to opt out of the changes. | |
| Proposed plans would give cohabiting couples who have lived together for at least three years or have a child extra financial rights on separation. | |
| There are 3.5 million cohabiting couples in England and Wales. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1's coverage led with the human impact, using two personal stories to illustrate the financial and emotional hardship faced by cohabiting couples when a relationship ends or a partner dies. It balanced this with criticism from legal experts, and noted that the government is still consulting, with the Ministry of Justice yet to decide on the scale of change. The tone was neutral but sympathetic to the couples affected.
- “We just wanted to do something differently, you know, living our own life rather than living by the standards of, you know, what everyone else expects from us.”
- “Cohabitation would be a brand new, very intrusive framework without the consent of the couple involved to what has been imposed on them, perhaps without even their knowledge, and that runs contrary to the rule of law and all the principles of English law.”
- “To some, these reforms are long overdue, to others, it's an attack on freedom of choice.”
Broadcast Timeline
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