Labour has come under fire after declining to support a Private Member’s Bill that would prohibit first-cousin marriage, leaving the proposed ban stalled more than a year after it was first scheduled for debate in the House of Commons.
The Marriages (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill, introduced by Conservative MP Richard Holden, was due to receive its second reading this week. That vote did not take place after parliamentary business was delayed again, extending the bill’s limbo to roughly 395 days since it was last expected to progress.
Holden said Labour’s refusal to back the legislation amounts to quiet support for the practice. “If you don’t back first-cousin marriage, you can just say so,” he told GB News. “But Labour do back first cousin marriage and they’re trying to hide their secretive support for the practice.”
The Basildon and Billericay MP argued that the issue carries serious health and safeguarding consequences. “It is an issue bound up with serious health implications, closed communities, and the isolation of the vulnerable,” Holden said. “I am appalled, but sadly not surprised, that Labour is once again turning a blind eye.”
Holden previously urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to instruct Labour whips to allow MPs to support the ban. During a heated exchange at Prime Minister’s Questions last year, Starmer rejected that request, responding, “We’ve taken our position on that Bill, thank you.”
Labour has insisted that marriage law remains under review but has not committed to bringing Holden’s bill back as government business or allocating it a guillotined slot to guarantee debate. Without such intervention, the legislation is unlikely to advance before the next King’s Speech, at which point all outstanding Private Members’ Bills fall from the agenda.
Only a small fraction of such bills ever receive a second reading, as Fridays are the sole sitting days set aside for them. Holden’s proposal is also low on the parliamentary list, making further delays likely unless other measures are withdrawn.
Despite Labour’s stance, not all party members oppose a ban. Labour MP Neil Coyle said, “The prevalence of infant mortality and birth defects alone warrants the ban.” Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also criticised past NHS guidance suggesting potential benefits of cousin marriage, saying, “First-cousin marriages are high risk and unsafe… that advice should never have been published.”
Holden introduced the measure in December 2024 under the Ten Minute Rule, noting the practice was prohibited in England until the mid-16th century.
With time running out in the current session, he warned that the proposal is being pushed into the “long grass,” forcing him to restart the process from scratch if Parliament resets.
The Marriages (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill, introduced by Conservative MP Richard Holden, was due to receive its second reading this week. That vote did not take place after parliamentary business was delayed again, extending the bill’s limbo to roughly 395 days since it was last expected to progress.
Holden said Labour’s refusal to back the legislation amounts to quiet support for the practice. “If you don’t back first-cousin marriage, you can just say so,” he told GB News. “But Labour do back first cousin marriage and they’re trying to hide their secretive support for the practice.”
The Basildon and Billericay MP argued that the issue carries serious health and safeguarding consequences. “It is an issue bound up with serious health implications, closed communities, and the isolation of the vulnerable,” Holden said. “I am appalled, but sadly not surprised, that Labour is once again turning a blind eye.”
Holden previously urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to instruct Labour whips to allow MPs to support the ban. During a heated exchange at Prime Minister’s Questions last year, Starmer rejected that request, responding, “We’ve taken our position on that Bill, thank you.”
Labour has insisted that marriage law remains under review but has not committed to bringing Holden’s bill back as government business or allocating it a guillotined slot to guarantee debate. Without such intervention, the legislation is unlikely to advance before the next King’s Speech, at which point all outstanding Private Members’ Bills fall from the agenda.
Only a small fraction of such bills ever receive a second reading, as Fridays are the sole sitting days set aside for them. Holden’s proposal is also low on the parliamentary list, making further delays likely unless other measures are withdrawn.
Despite Labour’s stance, not all party members oppose a ban. Labour MP Neil Coyle said, “The prevalence of infant mortality and birth defects alone warrants the ban.” Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also criticised past NHS guidance suggesting potential benefits of cousin marriage, saying, “First-cousin marriages are high risk and unsafe… that advice should never have been published.”
Holden introduced the measure in December 2024 under the Ten Minute Rule, noting the practice was prohibited in England until the mid-16th century.
With time running out in the current session, he warned that the proposal is being pushed into the “long grass,” forcing him to restart the process from scratch if Parliament resets.
