The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in Wales, Jane Hutt MS, has called on the UK Government to grant legal recognition to humanist marriages in England and Wales without delay. A letter to the Marriage Minister Lord Ponsonby urges the UK Government to ‘expedite progress in looking at this issue’. Humanists UK has welcomed the intervention.
Humanist marriages are already legally recognised in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey, and Guernsey, but not in England and Wales. Marriage law is not devolved to Wales but is a matter for the UK Government for both England and Wales. The Welsh Government has long supported legal recognition of humanist marriages, and in 2021 told the UK Government that this issue should be resolved now, or else devolved.
Legal recognition in England and Wales has been under constant UK Government review since 2013. The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act gave it the power to enact legal recognition of humanist marriages through secondary legislation. But in the years since, it has not done this. Instead the matter has been reviewed three times, most recently by the Law Commission, who published their report in 2022. The previous government did not issue its response before the General Election was called.
The Welsh Government’s letter is the second time that humanist marriage has been raised this week, with cross-party peers also calling for immediate action during an oral question in the House of Lords on Monday.
Wales Humanists Coordinator Kathy Riddick commented:
‘We urge the UK Government to act on humanist marriages now. Couples in Wales have been waiting to legally marry in line with their beliefs for over a decade now, all the while knowing that the Welsh Government would act on the matter if only it had the power.’
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For further comment or information, media should contact Wales Humanists Coordinator Kathy Riddick at kathy@humanists.uk or phone 07881 625 378.
Read more about our work on legal recognition of humanist marriages.
Humanist weddings are non-religious wedding ceremonies that are fully customised to match the deepest-held values and beliefs of the couple getting married. They are conducted by a humanist celebrant, someone guaranteed to share their beliefs. In consultation with the couple the celebrant produces a completely bespoke script. The ceremony also occurs in whatever location is most meaningful for the couple. Humanists UK has more than 300 trained and accredited wedding celebrants.
Humanist marriages gained legal recognition in Scotland in 2005 and in 2019 there were more humanist than Christian marriages for the first time (23% of the total). In the Republic of Ireland, humanist marriages gained legal recognition in 2012. In 2019 around 9% of legally recognised marriages were humanist. That places the Humanist Association of Ireland only behind the Catholic Church and civil marriages. They gained legal recognition in Northern Ireland in 2018, following a Court of Appeal ruling that concluded that a failure to do so would be a breach of human rights. Jersey also gave legal recognition to humanist marriages in 2019 and in 2021 Guernsey followed suit.
Wales Humanists is part of Humanists UK. Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 130,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.