Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will bring forward changes to allow independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings.

The Government recognises the contribution that independent celebrants make to the wedding industry and will be seeking their views amongst a range of others to inform the consultation paper.

In the upcoming consultation, we will invite views on the possible introduction of independent officiants and the potential consequences of this. We will encourage everyone to engage with the consultation when published to help to inform our next steps on weddings reform.