Family Law

As Boris Johnson's Conservative Party win a substantial majority in the general election, it is worth refreshing our memory about their manifesto pledges for family law.

In their manifesto for the December 2019 election, the Conservative Party promised to pass a Domestic Abuse Bill, pilot integrated domestic abuse courts for criminal and family law matters, and fight FGM, as well as making commitments on other family law matters.

The manifesto said: "We will support all victims of domestic abuse and pass the Domestic Abuse Bill. We will increase support for refuges and community support for victims of rape and sexual abuse. We will pilot integrated domestic abuse courts that address criminal and family matters in parallel."

The manifesto made no mention of the fate of the Divorce and Separation Bill, which was to introduce no fault divorce. The manifesto is equally silent on no fault divorce itself - something that both the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrat Party had committed to implementing in their respective manifestos. 

Like the Labour Party, the Conservatives have promised a review of the care system and to ensuring that children and young adults are provided with the care they need, and to improving the Troubled Families programme:

"Children who end up in care are more likely to struggle as adults, denied the love and stability most of us take for granted. We will prioritise stable, loving placements for those children – adoption where possible or foster parents recruited by the local authority. We will review the care system to make sure that all care placements and settings are providing children and young adults with the support they need. A strong society needs strong families. We will improve the Troubled Families programme and champion Family Hubs to serve vulnerable families with the intensive, integrated support they need to care for children – from the early years and throughout their lives."

You can read the full manifesto here.