A Bill to raise the minimum age of consent to marriage or civil partnership to eighteen; create an offence of causing a person under the age of eighteen to enter into a marriage or civil partnership; and for connected purposes.
House of Lords
17 March 2017
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would raise the legal minimum age for marriage and civil partnerships to 18. It would also make it an offence to cause or pressure someone under 18 to marry or form a civil partnership, with related measures to enforce the change.
Originated in the Lords; it has completed the 1st and 2nd readings and an order of commitment discharge, and is currently at the 3rd reading in the Lords (as of 2016-12-20).
Generated 21 February 2026
25 May 2016
21 Oct 2016
13 Dec 2016
20 Dec 2016
Third reading - the final chance for the Lords to change the Bill - took place on 20 December and no amendments were made.
The Bill now goes to the Commons for its consideration.
The 2016-2017 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
