Conservative MP Richard Holden puts forward Private Member’s Bill to end welfare loop-hole for polygamous and incestuous marriages.
‘Families struggling with the cost of living should not be footing the bill’ (Image: Getty)
MPs will be forced to vote on a new law to stop men with several wives from claiming extra benefits for their multiple spouses.
It comes after Richard Holden, the MP for Basildon and Billericay, put forward a Private Member’s Bill to end the system.
Backed by several Conservative MPs, incestuous marriages will also be banned, including those between an uncle and niece.
A loophole in the law currently means additional spouses can get Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.
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Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, is one of several top Tories backing the bill. Senior Tories pushing for the ban also include Shadow Cabinet members Helen Whately, Claire Coutinho, Laura Trott and Tom Tugendhat.
Tories have already called for the ending of benefit payments for additional spouses.
However, the new law, if passed, will ensure overseas marriages between close relatives, including an uncle and niece, cannot be recognised for welfare purposes.
Mr Holden put forward the law after the Ministry of Justice told him such marriages were “unlikely to be recognised”, pushing him to call for an explicit prohibition.
Mr Holden said: “Families struggling with the cost of living should not be footing the bill for men with multiple wives. Yet our benefits system still gives special recognition to polygamous marriages contracted overseas. It is outrageous and undermines people’s faith that the laws we pass are abided by.
“My Bill would end those additional-spouse provisions and put beyond doubt that overseas incestuous marriages, including uncle–niece and aunt–nephew marriages, have no place in our welfare system or society. Contracting a marriage abroad should never be a bypass route around the standards we uphold in Britain.
“Labour has become the Welfare Party in thrall to special interests. Andy Burnham and his Labour MPs now have a simple choice: back my Bill or explain to hardworking taxpayers why they refuse to.”
Government sources have suggested the current system of laws around polygamous marriages impacts on six households.
Those marriages were reognised in the system set up before the rules changed in 1988.
Analysis suggests polygamous households can claim £363.25 per week in Pension Credit for the claimant and first spouse.
For every extra spouse, they can claim a further £125.25 per week in Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, which rises to £127.35 for older households.
There is currently no cap on the number of additional spouses who may claim.
Number-crunching by the Tories suggests a household of one husband and four wives could receive up to £39,406 more per year than a standard couple.
A DWP spokesperson said: “There are robust rules in place which means there is no financial benefit for polygamous households, to ensure fairness across our benefit system.
“Our immigration rules have generally prevented the formation of polygamous households in this country since 1988, and benefit support is only available where the marriage took place in a country where it is legal.
“We believe very few, if any, polygamous households claim Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or any benefit support.”
Conservative MP Richard Holden puts forward Private Member’s Bill to end welfare loop-hole for polygamous and incestuous marriages.
‘Families struggling with the cost of living should not be footing the bill’ (Image: Getty)
MPs will be forced to vote on a new law to stop men with several wives from claiming extra benefits for their multiple spouses.
It comes after Richard Holden, the MP for Basildon and Billericay, put forward a Private Member’s Bill to end the system.
Backed by several Conservative MPs, incestuous marriages will also be banned, including those between an uncle and niece.
A loophole in the law currently means additional spouses can get Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.
Get the latest politics news – straight from our team in Westminster and more
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, is one of several top Tories backing the bill. Senior Tories pushing for the ban also include Shadow Cabinet members Helen Whately, Claire Coutinho, Laura Trott and Tom Tugendhat.
Tories have already called for the ending of benefit payments for additional spouses.
However, the new law, if passed, will ensure overseas marriages between close relatives, including an uncle and niece, cannot be recognised for welfare purposes.
Mr Holden put forward the law after the Ministry of Justice told him such marriages were “unlikely to be recognised”, pushing him to call for an explicit prohibition.
Mr Holden said: “Families struggling with the cost of living should not be footing the bill for men with multiple wives. Yet our benefits system still gives special recognition to polygamous marriages contracted overseas. It is outrageous and undermines people’s faith that the laws we pass are abided by.
“My Bill would end those additional-spouse provisions and put beyond doubt that overseas incestuous marriages, including uncle–niece and aunt–nephew marriages, have no place in our welfare system or society. Contracting a marriage abroad should never be a bypass route around the standards we uphold in Britain.
“Labour has become the Welfare Party in thrall to special interests. Andy Burnham and his Labour MPs now have a simple choice: back my Bill or explain to hardworking taxpayers why they refuse to.”
Government sources have suggested the current system of laws around polygamous marriages impacts on six households.
Those marriages were reognised in the system set up before the rules changed in 1988.
Analysis suggests polygamous households can claim £363.25 per week in Pension Credit for the claimant and first spouse.
For every extra spouse, they can claim a further £125.25 per week in Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, which rises to £127.35 for older households.
There is currently no cap on the number of additional spouses who may claim.
Number-crunching by the Tories suggests a household of one husband and four wives could receive up to £39,406 more per year than a standard couple.
A DWP spokesperson said: “There are robust rules in place which means there is no financial benefit for polygamous households, to ensure fairness across our benefit system.
“Our immigration rules have generally prevented the formation of polygamous households in this country since 1988, and benefit support is only available where the marriage took place in a country where it is legal.
“We believe very few, if any, polygamous households claim Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or any benefit support.”