Legal age of marriage in England and Wales rises to 18
Partner Deborah Jeff discusses the news that the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 has come into force, raising the legal age of marriage to 18, in New Law Journal and eprivateclient.
This is a welcome change in the law today, raising the legal age to marry or enter into a civil partnership to 18. It is now illegal for a child to marry in any circumstances, protecting the course of vulnerable young people’s lives.
It was high time that the law called out this abuse of children, shutting down this form of manipulation of forced marriage under the heading of “consent” of a parent. Of even greater significance is that it captures all forms of ‘marriage’ even those not recognised by the law as being such.
Deborah's comments were published in New Law Journal, 27 February 2023, and in eprivateclient, 28 February 2023, and can be found here and here respectively.
