Divorce applications have reached their highest level for a decade after no-fault legislation was introduced in England and Wales. From April to June earlier this year, there were 33,566 divorce applications according to data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) - the highest level since the first quarter of 2012.
The vast majority of those (33,234) came under new legislation, which came into effect on April 6. The change allows couples to go through proceedings without apportioning blame.
Instead, a statement of irretrievable breakdown, made either individually or together, is seen as "conclusive evidence". This means there is no longer a need to cite adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion as grounds for divorce.
