09/06/2026
🚨BIGGEST OVERHAUL OF FAMILY LAW IN DECADES:
Reforming financial remedies on divorce and introducing comprehensive new rights for cohabiting couples.
I’ll be publishing my full response to the government's consultation soon.
My key concerns include:
🚩The proposed 3-year cohabitation qualifying period before financial remedies kick in. This creates a dangerous window that risks incentivising abusers to escalate violence and economic abuse earlier to trap victims who don’t yet qualify for protection, especially childless women.
🚩The “just leave” narrative remains lethal when there is no immediate financial safety net at the point of fleeing domestic abuse. Greatest need happens at separation, not after an arbitrary 3 year waiting period.
🚩For domestic abuse victim mothers with children, the framework risks creating dual litigation trauma (child arrangements + financial claims) under a narrower needs-based model, with no clear legal aid safeguards highlighted.
🚩While domestic abuse is referenced, the structural gaps still leave too many victim-survivors exposed to post-separation financial control.
This matters. The law shapes whether women can safely leave abusive relationships or whether they remain trapped by financial dependence and disadvantages.
The consultation closes on 14 August 2026.
If you work in this area, support survivors, or have lived experience — please respond! Your voice really matters. The more survivor-centred and practitioner-informed responses the Government receives, the harder it will be to ignore these risks.
I’ll share my full submission publicly soon.
In the meantime, the consultation is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-fairer-end-to-relationships
Understanding how the family court system can be weaponised by domestic abusers: https://amzn.eu/d/0biLHT3p
