With the success of the ‘no fault divorce’ campaign and the government commitment to equality of access to civil partnerships, there is an optimism within the family law profession that change is coming.
The Supreme Court decision
On 27 June 2018, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case of Steinfeld and Keidan[i] declaring that the provisions of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 which permit only same-sex couples the right to enter into a civil partnership are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
An anomalous situation has existed in England and Wales since the introduction of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 which made marriage between same-sex couples lawful.  The provisions of the Civil Partnership Act were neither repealed nor were they extended ...