Petition
Ban marriage between first cousins.
Rejected
11 signatures
What the petition asks
This would mean changing two pieces of legislation: the Marriage Act 1949 and the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Ending 1st cousin marriage would be positive for:
Cohesion. Boosting social integration, ending communities living separate lives
Freedom. Enhancing individual liberty, particularly of women
Health. Reducing debilitating genetic disorders
Many of worlds most prosperous countries have banned 1st cousin marriage including most US States & Norway (Sweden & Denmark are actively considering bans). The UK, which led the world tackling forced marriage and raised the marriage age to 18, should act now.
Cohesion. Boosting social integration, ending communities living separate lives
Freedom. Enhancing individual liberty, particularly of women
Health. Reducing debilitating genetic disorders
Many of worlds most prosperous countries have banned 1st cousin marriage including most US States & Norway (Sweden & Denmark are actively considering bans). The UK, which led the world tackling forced marriage and raised the marriage age to 18, should act now.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:
Ban cousin marriages
Ban cousin marriages
Ban cousin marriages
Ban cousin marriages
Timeline
| 5 Mar 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 3 Apr 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
11
Status
Rejected
Rejected
3 Apr 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 23 Aug 2026.