Dr Andy Hayward

Dr Andy Hayward

Dr Andy Hayward is an Associate Professor in Family Law at Durham Law School, Durham University. His research focuses on domestic and comparative fami...

read more

Cohabitation Reform Under the New Labour Government: Moving From a ‘Whether’ to a ‘What’?

Cohabitation Reform Under the New Labour Government: Moving From a ‘Whether’ to a ‘What’?

The law around cohabitation has been ripe for reform for many years. As far back as 2007, the Law Commission of England and Wales recommended that it be updated, so as to safeguard couples against uncertainty and injustice in the event of relationship breakdown. Similarly, academics and practitioners have long

Cohabitation and Labour's Commitment to Changing the Law: What Reform Might Look Like

Cohabitation and Labour's Commitment to Changing the Law: What Reform Might Look Like

On Tuesday, 10 October 2023, Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry MP announced that the Labour Party intended to review the law relating to cohabitation with a view to introducing reform. This is welcome news and was received positively by Resolution and many academics that have campaigned tirelessly over the years

Cohabitation Rights in England and Wales, Scotland and Australia

Cohabitation Rights in England and Wales, Scotland and Australia

Introduction Across the globe, the composition of families is changing. No longer is marriage the definitive means for defining a family; we have seen the growth of other formalised relationship statuses such as registered partnerships and civil unions. The family outside marriage has now become a statistical reality and something

Book Review: Quiet Revolutionaries

Book Review: Quiet Revolutionaries

Quiet Revolutionaries: The Married Women’s Association and Family Law, Sharon Thompson (Hart Publishing, 2022) Family lawyers today often talk of reform. In a relatively short period of time, we have seen fundamental changes to the landscape of family law including comprehensive no-fault divorce and mixed-sex civil partnerships. We are

Evaluating the Government's Response to the Women and Equalities Committee Rights of Cohabiting Partners Inquiry

Evaluating the Government's Response to the Women and Equalities Committee Rights of Cohabiting Partners Inquiry

On 1 November 2022 the Women and Equalities Committee released the Government's response to their Rights of Cohabiting Partners Inquiry Report. The short response, available here, largely rejects the key recommendations of the Committee and only partially accepts the others. The initial reaction to the Report has been

Dr Andy Hayward

Dr Andy Hayward is an Associate Professor in Family Law at Durham Law School, Durham University. His research focuses on domestic and comparative family law, especially the legal regulation of adult interpersonal relationships. In 2021 Andy was Special Advisor to the UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee for their

Where Next for Cohabitation Reform in England and Wales?

Where Next for Cohabitation Reform in England and Wales?

On 4 August 2022, the Women and Equalities Committee of the UK Parliament handed down their eagerly anticipated Report on the Rights of Cohabiting Partners, available here⁠). It called for the introduction of opt-out protections upon relationship breakdown, legal provision following an intestate succession, and public awareness campaigns to tackle