Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to implement the proposal of the Law Commission in its Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 18 July 2022 (HC 557), to place regulatory conditions on the officiant rather than the location in which the wedding takes place.

The Law Commission’s 2022 report on weddings law made 57 recommendations for the wholesale reform of weddings law, including recommendations for an officiant-based weddings model. This would shift the focus of regulation from the building or venue where the wedding takes place to the officiant. The Law Commission set out its view that its recommendations would provide greater choice for couples in deciding how and where they get married, and the form and content of the ceremony.

I am sure you will agree that marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider any changes to the law carefully. As a new Government, we need time to consider this issue, and we will set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months.