Nigel Farage has reignited calls for a ban on cousin marriage after demanding a conversation on the “inherently un-British” practice.
The Reform UK leader, who previously called for a conversation on a burka ban, set out his stall in response to Sweden’s decision to ban cousin marriage earlier today.
He said: “It causes serious health problems in certain communities, and it’s inherently un-British.
“We must have a serious conversation about a ban in Britain, too.”
Tory MP Richard Holden attempted to force a vote on banning cousin marriage last year.
However, Mr Holden was unable to secure time to debate his proposed Private Members’ Bill, with the legislative process officially ending after the King’s Speech on May 8.
The Shadow Transport Secretary appeared critical of Mr Farage’s intervention, labelling the Reform UK leader’s response as “weak”.
“If he spent more time in Parliament, he’d see we’re beyond ‘conversations’,” Mr Holden said.
The Reform UK leader set out his stall in response to Sweden’s decision to ban cousin marriage earlier today
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PA
“Nigel should catch up with Kemi Badenoch & Conservatives who’ve already tabled laws and amendments to ban first cousin marriage.”
Speaking to GB News earlier this year, Mr Holden accused Labour of secretly backing cousin marriage by refusing to support his push to ban the practice.
He told The People’s Channel: “If you don’t back first-cousin marriage, you can just say so.
“But Labour do back first cousin marriage and they’re trying to hide their secretive support for the practice.
“It is an issue bound up with serious health implications, closed communities, and the isolation of the vulnerable.
Inner city Bradford reported high cousin marriage rates in 2023 | GETTY
“I am appalled, but sadly not surprised, that Labour is once again turning a blind eye to the issue and allowing it to be kicked into the long grass rather than taking a genuine stand or even explaining why they continue to back first-cousin marriage in the UK.”
Swedish MPs voted to outlaw cousin marriage on July 1, with half-brothers and half-sisters or siblings through adoption also now being unable to tie the knot.
However, cousin marriage remains legal in the UK after Henry VIII overturned the ban to wed his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, who was the first cousin of his executed second wife, Anne Boleyn.
The Pope also had to grant Henry VIII special dispensation to marry his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, given she had close family ties as the widow of his brother, Arthur.
Cousin marriage remains a prevalent practice among 10 per cent of the world population, including in the Middle East and North Africa.
Richard Holden criticised Nigel Farage for his comments
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GB NEWS
However, over 80 per cent of people marry their cousins in parts of rural Pakistan.
The rate also remains significantly above the global average in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Iran.
Despite cousin couples remaining relatively uncommon in the UK, consanguineous marriage rates stood at 43 per cent among British Pakistanis in inner-city Bradford in 2023.
First-cousin marriages are also statistically more likely among members of the Irish Traveller community.
A bombshell poll released last year by YouGov revealed Pakistani and Bangladeshi Britons are most likely to support first-cousin marriages, with 39 percent of those polled saying it should be legal and 47 per cent backing the proposed ban.
The opening of the Swedish Parliament for the fall session at the Riksdag Parliament building
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GETTY
Meanwhile, 77 per cent of white and Indian Britons support a ban, with the proportion soaring to 82 per cent among black Britons.
Research conducted by the University of Bradford found a child of first cousins is statistically more likely to develop speech and language difficulties.
The study also found a child of cousin marriage was significantly less likely to reach a good stage of development.
Separate research has revealed a child of cousin marriage is twice as likely to suffer from a birth defect, with an up to a one-in-four chance of developing specific recessive disorders.