https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14464825/Keir-Starmer-signals-Labour-block-laws-seeking-ban-cousins-marrying-despite-Tory-MP-raising-fears-significant-health-issues.html
Keir Starmer signals Labour will block laws seeking to ban first cousins from marrying despite Tory MP raising fears about 'significant health issues'
Sir Keir Starmer today signalled Labour would block a Tory MP's bid to introduce a legal ban on first cousins being able to marry in England and Wales.
Richard Holden, a Conservative shadow minister and MP for Basildon and Billericay, has proposed changes to existing marriage legislation.
Current laws state the prohibited degrees of relationship for marriage include those to a sibling, parent or child, but not marriages between first cousins.
Mr Holden's Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Bill is seeking to prohibit the marriage of first cousins.
His Bill is due to return before the House of Commons on Friday and, ahead of its scheduled second reading, Mr Holden pushed for Government support.
Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Holden urged Sir Keir to 'think again' after Downing Street previously indicated it had no plans to change the law.
'A marriage between first cousins carries significant health issues, many of which aren't even knowable until post-birth,' he told the PM.
'When practised generation after generation, there is a significant multiplier effect.'
Mr Holden added: 'In addition, the real impact for the openness of our society and women's rights in our country are also significant.
'After all, there are significant dynamics in having and sharing the same set of grandparents.
'On Friday, this Government has a choice to let my Bill to ban first cousin marriage go through to committee stage.
'Will the PM think again before instructing his whips to block this legislation?'
But Sir Keir signalled the Government would not be throwing its support behind Mr Holden's Bill, with the PM replying: 'We've taken our position on that Bill, thank you.'
The Tory MP was already facing a battle for his Bill to become law due to the amount of parliamentary time available for such private members' bills to clear the necessary stages.
Mr Holden first introduced his Bill to the Commons in December when it met opposition from independent MP Iqbal Mohamed.
The MP for Dewsbury and Batley, told the Commons last year that many people view family intermarriage as 'very positive'.
He said it was seen as something that could help 'build family bonds' and put families on a more secure financial foothold'.
Mr Mohamed admitted there were 'health risks' for the children of such marriages.
But he said a 'more positive approach' would be to 'facilitate advanced genetic test screening' for couples wishing to marry.
He also called for 'education programmes' to be targeted at those communities where family intermarriage is most common, as he urged MPs to reject an outright ban.
At the time, Downing Street indicated the Government had no plans to ban marriages between first cousins despite the health risks.
A No10 spokesman said: 'I think the expert advice on the risks of first-cousin marriage are clear.
'But in terms of legislation, the Government has set out its priorities.'
Mr Holden is pushing for a legislative change after noting that laws on first-cousin marriage have been left 'unchanged' since the reign of Henry VIII.