Top Judge criticises divorce and culture of "pass the partner"

Last night the senior judge Mr Justice Coleridge made a speech to parliament in which he indicated that couples remaining married would be in the public interest.

The judge stated that there needs to be a reaffirmation of marriage as the gold standard in society. He also stated that there needs to be a National Commission to devise solutions to the “epidemic” of broken homes.

Mr Justice Coleridge is an important and influential family law judge. He heard the case of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills. He was also the judge that gave the ruling in the case of Mr and Mrs Charman – the largest lump sum ordered in British divorce history.

The judge believes that a significant portion of the population is engaged in “an endless and futile quest to find the perfect relationship” and this has lead to a culture of “pass the partner”.

He did, however, acknowledge that relationship breakdown cannot be avoided in all situations.