Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of placing restrictions on marriage between first cousins.

Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Marriage Act 1949 sets out prohibited degrees of relationship for marriage. Section 1 of the Marriage Act 1949 sets out that any marriages that take place within prohibited degrees of relationship are void. Under the legislation, prohibited degrees of relationship for marriage include marriages to a sibling, parent or child, but not marriages between first cousins. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 also makes sexual activity with the above family members, amongst others, a criminal offence, but this does not include first cousins. Placing restrictions on first cousin marriage would require changes to the Marriage Act 1949 and potentially the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

We are aware that all aspects of weddings, including first cousin marriage, are important issues. We will take the time as a new Government to properly consider our marriage law, including the Law Commission’s 2022 wedding report, before publicly setting out our position.