MPs from across the political spectrum raised the need to legally recognise humanist marriages in England and Wales in a Westminster Hall debate on marriage regulations led by David Mundell MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweedale, whose constituency includes Gretna Green. Humanists UK welcomes these calls and urges the Government to use its existing powers to grant legal recognition without delay.
Rachel Hopkins MP (Labour), and former Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), highlighted the inequity between humanist marriages being legal in Scotland and not being permitted in England and Wales as an ongoing anachronism that needs to be addressed. Responding, David Mundell agreed, stating ‘I agree…many humanists come to Scotland, and indeed to Gretna Green, to get married for that very reason. That issue needs to be addressed.’ It is notable that sitting MPs themselves raised how they travelled to Scotland to have a legally recognised humanist wedding in a Westminster Hall debate on the subject last year.
Other MPs indicated their support for legal recognition of humanist marriages. Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney set out her party’s long-term support for legal recognition of humanist marriages and said that they ‘continue to back full legal recognition of humanist marriages, in this Parliament and beyond’. Likewise, Dr Kieran Mullan MP, Secretary of the APPHG, expressed his sympathies towards the campaign.
In October 2025, the UK Government at last announced that it will legally recognise humanist marriages in England and Wales, but as part of wider marriage reform on which it has announced further consultation in early 2026.
Director of Human Rights and Advocacy Karen Wright commented:
‘We welcome MPs’ calls for legal recognition of humanist marriages. This change cannot come too soon for humanist couples who want to get on with planning their weddings and simply want equal rights to marry in line with their beliefs as their religious counterparts.
‘In this debate the Minister said that it is no longer necessary for couples to brave a trip north of the border to Gretna Green to seek freedom, but this is not the case for humanist couples in England and Wales who either have to have an additional ceremony here if they wish to be legally wed, or travel to Scotland, Northern Ireland, or beyond, to have a legal humanist ceremony. We urge the Government to act.’
Notes
For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Head of Press and Campaign Communications Nathan Stilwell at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959 (media only).
Legal recognition of humanist marriages in local jurisdictions
Humanist marriages gained legal recognition in Scotland in 2005, where since 2022 more humanist weddings have been conducted each year than religious marriages of all kinds combined. They also gained legal recognition in the Republic of Ireland in 2012; 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 and now make up 1 in 7 marriages there; in Jersey in 2019; and in Guernsey in 2021.
In England and Wales, however, humanist couples must have an unwanted additional civil ceremony for their marriage to be legally recognised. A change in law has been under constant Government review since 2013. The Marriage Act gave the Government the power to enact legal recognition of humanist marriages by Order – which would take as little time as 90 minutes in each the House of Commons and House of Lords. But in the years since, the Government has not done this. Instead the matter has been reviewed three times, most recently by the Law Commission, which published its report in July 2022. The previous Government did not issue its response before the General Election was called.
Labour supported legal recognition of humanist marriages by Order since 2014 while in opposition. But now in power, the new government said it needed more time to set out a position while it considered the Law Commission’s proposals. It has now responded and said it will consult on its proposals in early 2026 before introducing legislation to reform marriage law when parliamentary time allows.
Read the debate.
Read the Law Commission’s review on Marriage Law and the Government’s response to it.
Read more about our work on humanist marriages.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 150,000 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.