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On 1 January 2020 a new law came into effect allowing heterosexual couples to enter into a Civil Partnership. A Civil Partnership is a legally recognised relationship offering many of the same legal rights and entitlements as marriage, such as exemptions from inheritance tax and equal Parental Responsibility for children born to Civil Partners. The Government estimates that following the implementation of the new law, around 84,000 Civil Partnerships will take place in England and Wales this year alone.
Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan famously took their fight for a heterosexual Civil Partnership to the Supreme Court in 2018. The court ultimately ruled in their favour and the Government, under then Prime Minister Theresa May, agreed to extend the right to all couples in England and Wales shortly thereafter. Significantly, there is no theological or religious importance to the ceremonies, allowing those who do not wish to be married to enjoy the same rights under the law as those couples who do. The ceremony takes place in front of a registrar as opposed to a religious leader, and you can find further information on how to register for a Civil Partnership on the Government website (www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships).
Cohabiting families are the fastest growing family type, with numbers in the UK more than doubling over the past 20 years to approximately 3.4 million. In 2017, 48 per cent of children were born to unmarried couples. It is a common misconception that cohabiting couples enjoy the same legal protections as those who are married. Cohabiting couples can often be left devastated to find out that they do not have the same legal rights and protections as married couples and Civil Partnership can provide a straight forward solution to many of the potential financial and legal complications.
The recently introduced rules on Civil Partnership are a welcome change, but if things go wrong the implications for couples and families, both with and without children, can be significant and life changing. From pensions and benefits, to contact disputes and separation, the issues resulting from family life breakdowns can be the most fraught and tumultuous many of us will likely ever face.
If you require advice or guidance on issues resulting from a breakdown in your relationship or marriage you can speak to our Family Law team about this. You can arrange an appointment by calling us on 0191 263 6200.
Further information on the Family Law services that we offer can be found on our Private Family Law page.
Sources: Daily Mail MoneyMail, 1 January 2020, page 4. Independent.co.uk, Colin Drury, 1 December 2020, ‘Civil Partnerships: First mixed-sex unions taking place today’. FT.com, Jane Croft, 31 December 2019, ‘UK law change opens door for mixed sex civil partnerships’.
