Married or civil partner couples remain the most common family type in 2019, representing two-thirds of families in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
However, over the last decade the number of cohabiting couples with dependent children has increased by more than a quarter
But, these couples are not afforded the same legal rights as married couples.
This is a concern because “the very limited financial remedies that might be available on the breakdown of a cohabiting relationship are borrowed from other areas of the law and are often very complex and disproportionately expensive ...