Jon Bright (London, OK): Hat-tip to Zohra Moosa for alerting me to this EDM which attempts to correct an absurd injustice in the UK's marriage laws. Currently, if you want to get married in the UK, you need:
a) to be a UK citizen, or
b) to want to do it in an Anglican church, or
c) to have a spare £295 per person
That's right: immigrants who don't wish to marry in an Anglican church need to buy a "Certificate of Approval", at the above price. This is nothing to do with their immigration status - they might be visiting students, have temporary visas, etc. - and they gain no immigration status enhancement by marrying here. So why the punitive tax on those not of the correct faith? Well done to Mark Durkan for tabling.
