The legal minimum age of marriage in England and Wales has now been raised to 18, the government has confirmed.
After years of campaigners calling for change and action to be brought about, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 has officially come into force in England and Wales today (27 February), according to the government, and it means that 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be allowed to marry or enter a civil partnership – even if they have parental consent.
The Act also means it’s now a criminal offence to exploit vulnerable children by arranging for them to marry, under any circumstances, regardless of whether or not force is used.
The government says the decision to raise the minimum marriage age from 16 to 18 years old is due to that fact that 18 is widely recognised as the age that a person becomes an adult and therefore gains full citizenship rights.
Today, the age of marriage & civil partnerships in England & Wales has raised from 16 to 18.
This will protect children from coercion & abuse. Hear from child marriage survivor @PayzeeMalika & MP @Pauline_Latham who worked to change the law👇
As part of the government’s commitment to the pledge made to the United Nations to tackle violence against women and girls and end child marriage by 2030, ministers say the raising of the minimum marriage age will “crack down on forced marriages” that can cause lasting damage on a child.
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On top of this, those who are found guilty of arranging child marriages now face sentences of up to seven years in prison.
Previously, forced marriage was only an offence if the person uses a type of coercion to cause someone to marry – but now, it’s an offence to cause a child under the age of 18 to enter a marriage in any circumstances, without the need to prove that a form of coercion was used.
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This includes non-legally binding ‘traditional’ ceremonies, which would still be viewed as marriages by the parties and their families, according to the government.
Legal minimum marriage age raised to 18 in England and Wales / Credit: Sandy Millar (via Unsplash)
Speaking on the introduction of the new Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 today, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: “This law will better protect vulnerable young people, by cracking down on forced marriage in our society.
“Those who act to manipulate children into marrying under-age will now rightly face the full force of the law.”
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The change was introduced through a Private Member’s Bill brought to Parliament by Pauline Latham OBE MP, and was supported by campaign organisations within the Girls Not Brides Coalition – which works to end child marriage and ‘honour’-based abuse.
“This is a landmark day for the campaigners who have worked relentlessly for over five years to ban child marriage in this country,” Pauline Latham said.
“Child marriage destroys lives, and through this legislation we will protect millions of boys and girls over the coming years from this scourge.”
Featured Image – Pixabay
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Former care home worker who defrauded elderly woman out of £300k arrested after fleeing to Spain
Emily Sergeant
A fraudster former care home worker who’s been on the run for almost a year has finally been arrested in Spain.
Pamela Gwinnett has been arrested in Tenerife, where she fled to in 2025, and will be returned to the UK to face justice for her crimes.
The arrest comes after a meticulous investigation by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) where Gwinnett was found guilty of defrauding an elderly woman, named Joan Green from Chorley in Lancashire, out of almost £300,000 while she was employed as a caregiver at a nursing home.
Gwinnett fled the UK for Tenerife in 2025 in an effortto evade authorities, GMP said.
She was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison in her absence back in October 2025 for a number of offences, including fraud by abuse of position and theft , and at a subsequent Proceeds of Crime hearing, an order for £300,000 was granted… but up until this week, Gwinnett has been on the run and police have been trying to track her down.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) worked alongside the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish authorities to locate Gwinnett and begin the process of her return to the UK where she will serve her sentence.
Speaking in reaction to Gwinnett’s arrest this week, PC Georgia Loughton, who was the GMP officer in charge of the investigation, said: “I am pleased that Pamela Gwinnett will be returned to the UK where she will serve her sentence.
“Gwinnett knowingly defrauded a vulnerable woman out of almost £300,000, cutting off all contact with her family and controlling every aspect of her life.
“She was trusted by Joan, and she used this position of trust to her own financial gain. Joan was isolated from her family and denied from seeing her grandchildren and their children.
“Sadly, Joan passed away in 2022, however we hope that the return of Gwinnett to the UK to serve her sentence gives Joan’s family a sense of justice as they look to move on with their lives.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Micah Richards reveals dad ‘unexpectedly’ died shortly before going on air for England v Argentina last night
Emily Sergeant
Micah Richards has revealed that his dad died shortly before he went on air for the World Cup semi final last night.
The former right back – who most-notably played for Manchester City for a decade from 2005-2015, and for the England national team from 2006-2012 – was one of the BBC’s pundits providing on-air analysis last night as England faced Argentina in a highly anticipated semi final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup last night.
The two teams faced off in Atlanta, and while goals came from both sides, it was ultimately Argentina that reigned supreme – securing a 2-1 win over the Three Lions.
But while much of the country is grieving the fact that football won’t be ‘coming home’ (well, for another two years at least), Richards is grieving on a deeper level.
He took to Instagram after the loss last night to share with his 1.4m followers that shortly before he went on air, his father Lincoln passed away ‘unexpectedly’ – calling him the ‘proudest parent possible’ in a touching tribute.
“He has left us all too soon,” Richards began in his tribute.
“Hwas my greatest fan. He barely missed a game my entire life. He would take me wherever I needed to go when I was a kid and he was the proudest parent possible during my professional career. It was so rare for him to not be by my side.
“I know how much watching England World Cup games means to everyone at home, and how the experience bonds families together across the generations, like nothing else.
“I know, particularly as a proud old-school Yorkshireman, dad would’ve wanted the show to go on this evening. And so it did.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th February 2023 
