The Bill will have its Second Reading in the Commons on Monday 8th June, despite the disruption to the parliamentary timetable caused by Covid-19.
So far the Bill has sailed through each stage of the Commons (in 2019 before prorogation) and then the Lords in early 2020. The only change that has been made to the original Bill is a concession made by Lord Keen to require parliamentary approval before the use of any Henry VIII power to shorten the waiting period. Otherwise the Bill has enjoyed cross-party support at all stages and is backed enthusiastically by relationship organisations, family justice professionals, the judiciary and academics.
After fifty years of waiting, it does seem that we might finally be getting a kinder and fairer divorce law that will help families through a difficult time, not make things worse.
The new Finding Fault briefing for the Second Reading debate is available here. There’s also an excellent new briefing from Resolution here.
