Polygamous husbands settling in Britain with multiple wives can claim extra benefits for their “harems” even though bigamy is a crime in the UK, it has emerged. Opposition MPs are demanding an urgent change in the law, claiming that the Government is recognising and rewarding a custom which has no legal status and which is “alien” to this country’s cultural traditions.
Islamic law allows a man to take up to four wives, providing he can provide for them fairly and equally. But British law only ever recognises one spouse, while bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in jail. However, if a husband and his wives arrive and settle in Britain having wed in a country where polygamy is legal, then the UK benefits system recognises his extra wives as dependents and pays them accordingly.
The Department of Work and Pensions admitted yesterday it had no figures on how many families are claiming for multiple wives.
Tory MP for Monmouth David Davies condemned the arrangements as “appalling”, and called for an immediate halt to the payments. He said: “People who come to this country must be prepared to abide by our laws and rules. Polygamy is completely alien to our cultural and legal tradition, and it’s disgraceful that our benefits system is recognising and rewarding it. Why are some people in Government falling over themselves to undermine every tradition that has made this country what it is?”
David Davies provides a good illustration of Soumaya Ghannoushi’s point that David Cameron’s claim to have transformed the Tories into a modern, progressive, liberal party is a fraud.