UK Conservatives Vow to End Benefits Loophole for Polygamous Marriages

A future Conservative government intends to eliminate a welfare loophole that provides extra benefits to husbands with multiple wives, who were married overseas under Sharia law.

Under the current system, polygamous marriages, though illegal in the UK, are recognized if conducted in a country where they are permitted. This allows for additional benefit claims beyond the standard couple rate. For pensioners, each additional spouse can receive £125.25 per week in pension credit and an equal amount in housing benefit.

Conservative politician Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce this week that her party will pledge to stop these additional payments, framing it as a move to end the "rewarding" of "damaging cultural practices." Richard Holden, a Conservative MP and advocate for banning cousin marriage, stated that "taxpayers will be furious that they are supporting relationships of men to multiple wives." He added, "Our welfare system should not reward damaging cultural practices that are rightly illegal. My Bill would scrap this outrageous arrangement."

Polygamy has been a criminal offense in Britain for 400 years. However, the law permits recognition of marriages if they were lawful in the country of origin. Polygamy is legal in various forms in 58 countries, predominantly in the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia.

The Conservative proposal also encompasses the banning of benefits for individuals in incestuous unions and cousin marriages. An investigation cited by the source suggested a correlation between close familial marriages and increased benefit claims, with a quarter rise in handouts observed in areas where such practices are more prevalent. In Bradford, an area with a significant rate of cousin marriages, disability benefits were reported to be 23 percent higher than the national average, a phenomenon experts attribute to the increased risk of birth defects when parents are closely related.

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions indicated that the number of claimants from polygamous households is very small. The department also noted that "Our immigration rules have generally prevented the formation of polygamous households in this country since 1988."

It is anticipated that the Labour party will not support this proposed policy change.