Tories demand Government supports new laws to ban polygamous marriages from the welfare system so taxpayers are no longer ‘bundling cash to men with multiple wives’

Conservatives have urged the Government to back a Bill that would stop certain overseas polygamous marriages being recognised when calculating welfare benefits. Richard Holden, who introduced the Private Member’s Bill in the Commons, says it would close a loophole and also clarify that overseas marriages between close relatives should not qualify for welfare purposes.

UK marriages must be monogamous, but some polygamous marriages conducted legally abroad can currently count for certain means-tested benefits and tax credits, though not Universal Credit. The Department for Work and Pensions says fewer than 10 households in recent housing benefit data were recorded as having such a marriage, and argues existing rules prevent financial advantage for polygamous households. It says support is only available when the marriage took place in a country where polygamy is legal.