A senior High Court Judge, Sir Paul Coleridge, has announced plans to launch a £150,000-a-year marriage campaign to tackle increasing divorce rates in Britain and bring an end to the "appalling and costly impact of family breakdown".
Sir Coleridge, a former family barrister of 30 years, criticised British couples for “recycling” partners rather than staying together for the sake of their children, commenting that almost every dysfunctional child he encountered was “the product of a broken family".
“My message is mend it — don’t end it”, he said. “After over 40 years of working in the family justice system, I have seen the fall-out of these broken relationships.”
“There are an estimated 3.8 million children currently caught up in the family justice system. I personally think that’s a complete scandal,” he told The Times.
“It is a myth that children, even older ones, don’t care. They care greatly and a break-up shocks the whole foundation of the family, it never recovers.”
“Marriage, as the best structure in which to raise children, needs to be affirmed, strengthened and supported. Recycle your rubbish by all means, but be very slow to recycle your partner.”
Sir Coleridge plans to lobby for family friendly policies, run conferences and encourage cohabiting couples with children to stabilise their relationships by getting married. He noted that figures show that individuals are four times more likely to break up before their first child is five years old if they are not married.
Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said:
“A healthy society is based on stable marriages and families, and children prosper best when they have a father and a mother in a committed relationship. The huge social problems resulting from broken marriages and families are becoming clearer than ever. It is time for a change. The Government needs to encourage marriage as an urgent priority.”
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