Law Commission: Strong case for giving couples rights

The Law Commission has today proposed that unmarried couples be given rights in line with those in marriages.

At the request of the government, it issued a consultation paper marking the beginning of its review into legal reform to increase the rights of cohabiting couples.

Commissioner Stuart Bridge said that given more people were choosing to cohabit than ever before, the law applying to unmarried couples was "unacceptably complex", giving rise to results that many would consider unfair.

"We believe that there is a strong case for introducing more suitable financial remedies where cohabiting couples have children, and possibly in other circumstances," he said.

"We hope that this consultation paper will provide a basis for discussion about: firstly, whether there should be reform; secondly, if so, how a new scheme of remedies between cohabitants could be designed; and thirdly, to whom it should apply."