Seeing the emphasis placed by celebrity couple Chris Pratt and Anna Faris in dealing with their separation amicably, would appear to give positive impetus to the case for no-fault divorce.

Earlier this week, the couple announced that they are separating after eight years of marriage in joint statements shared on social media.  The statement said “Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward” and added that the two had “cherished” their time together and “continue to have the deepest respect for one another”.

Australia, the USA and Spain are all countries where no-fault divorce is possible. In 2006, Scotland introduced new legislation reducing the period of separation from two years to one where there is consent and from five years to two where there is no consent.

Despite the widespread support for ‘no-fault divorce’, UK governments have resisted calls to do so. In 2015, Richard Bacon MP introduced a bill which proposed divorce on each party making a separate declaration that the marriage had irretrievably broken down. The bill did not get beyond first reading in the House of Commons.

Statistics reveal that over 60% of UK divorces are fault based on adultery or unreasonable behaviour rather than 2 or 5 years’ separation (with or without consent). If we remain reluctant to replace fault divorces with no-fault divorces, why replace them at all? Perhaps a compromise would be for the UK to introduce a further fact in addition to those already in place in order to increase the options available.

If you would like to discuss the matters raised in this article, or any other family and divorce matter, please do not hesitate to contact Lucinda Holliday on ljmh@blasermills.co.uk or call 01494 478603.