Natalie Page

THE BIGGEST OVERHAUL OF FAMILY LAW IN DECADES IS HAPPENING NOW

The government proposes major reform of financial remedies on divorce and, for the first time, a statutory framework of rights for cohabiting couples when they separate. Domestic abuse — including economic abuse — is explicitly referenced. On paper, this looks like progress. In practice, the detail still contains dangerous gaps that risk leaving too many victim-survivors trapped.

This is not abstract law reform.
The rules that govern money at the end of a relationship decide whether a woman can safely leave, or whether financial dependence becomes another weapon of control.

What is being proposed

1. Financial remedies on divorce
The Government wants to codify the existing principles of “sharing” and “needs” into statute, introduce binding qualifying nuptial agreements, and ask whether domestic abuse (including coercive control and economic abuse) should carry greater weight when assets are divided.

2. New rights for cohabitants
A new statutory scheme would apply automatically to couples who have lived together for at least three years, or who live together and share a child. The scheme is deliberately narrower than divorce: needs-based only, no automatic sharing of assets, strong emphasis on a clean break, and an option to opt out.

3. Inheritance
The consultation also looks at giving qualifying cohabitants automatic rights on intestacy.

The stated aims include protecting women, children and victims of domestic abuse. Those aims matter. The design of the scheme will determine whether they are realised.

Why this consultation is critical

Financial abuse does not end when the relationship ends.
It often intensifies.

The cost of leaving an abusive partner can approach £50,000. Many survivors stay because they cannot afford to go. When the law offers no immediate financial safety net, “just leave” is not advice — it is a threat.

For cohabiting women, the proposed three-year qualifying period creates a clear window. An abuser who understands the law has every incentive to escalate violence and economic control before the victim qualifies for protection. The greatest need occurs at the point of separation, not after an arbitrary waiting period.

Mothers face a different but equally serious risk: dual litigation (child arrangements running alongside financial claims) under a narrower needs-based model, with no clear legal safeguards highlighted in the consultation. Post-separation economic control remains structurally enabled.

The law shapes whether women can safely escape abuse, or remain trapped by financial dependence and disadvantage.

My key concerns

• The three-year cohabitation threshold creates a dangerous gap that risks incentivising earlier and more severe abuse.
• There is still no immediate financial safety net at the moment a survivor flees.
• Victim mothers risk dual litigation trauma under a narrower framework.
• While domestic abuse is referenced, the structural gaps around post-separation financial control remain too wide.

These are not minor drafting points. They go to the heart of whether the reform will protect or endanger abuse victims.

What you can do

The consultation is open to anyone with lived experience, professional expertise, or an interest in family justice. You do not need to answer every question. Focused, survivor-centred responses carry weight.

Respond here before 11:59pm on 14 August 2026:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/a-fairer-end-to-relationships

If you work with survivors, have lived experience of economic or post-separation abuse, or simply understand why financial independence is a safety issue, please respond. The more precise, evidence-based and survivor-informed responses the Government receives, the harder it becomes to leave these gaps intact.

The machinery of post-separation abuse is not dismantled by good intentions. It is dismantled by law that actually works when a woman needs it most.

Further reading
The System Is The Weapon — how abusive fathers exploit family courts against mothers and children.

ACT NOW

The Government is consulting on the biggest family-law reforms in decades. Domestic abuse is referenced — but dangerous gaps remain. Respond by 14 August 2026.