Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden has urged the Government to back a ban on first‑cousin marriage, accusing Labour of refusing to confront opposition to the policy in some communities.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Holden said the practice remained widespread in parts of the UK, particularly among British Pakistani and Irish Traveller communities. He argued that repeated marriage between close relatives could have serious consequences for health, individual freedom and wider society.
He said he had previously introduced a private member’s bill to ban first‑cousin marriage, but claimed the Government blocked it. Conservative MP Dr Luke Evans has since secured fifth place in this year’s private members’ bill ballot, giving him an opportunity to bring forward legislation early next year.
Mr Holden said action was needed sooner, warning that first‑cousin marriage could also be used to bypass normal immigration routes. “I want to see the Government backing the bill that Dr Luke is bringing forward,” he said.
He insisted support for a ban cut across political lines. “This is something that, whether you’re a Conservative voter or a Labour voter or a Reform voter or a Liberal Democrat, actually right across the board people want to see first-cousin marriage banned,” he said.
Asked why Labour had not supported a ban, Mr Holden accused the Government of refusing to challenge opposition in some communities. “I think they’re cowards,” he said. “I think they’re unwilling to face down certain voices within certain communities.”
Mr Holden said he had received dozens of messages from people within the British Pakistani community backing his campaign, despite some finding it difficult to speak publicly. He also referred to opinion polling which he said showed majority support for a ban among British Pakistanis.
“The Government is unwilling to stand up to certain vested interests within parts of the British Pakistani community,” he said. “Actually, they should stand on the side of the people, not on the side of some of these so-called community leaders.”
He was challenged on whether rates of first‑cousin marriage were already falling as younger generations became more integrated. Mr Holden said the evidence was mixed, pointing to what he described as “very strange stats” from Born in Bradford. He claimed there were suggestions rates could be rising among some second‑ and third‑generation migrants, with people being brought from rural Pakistan to marry into extended families already living in the UK.
He maintained that rates remained high in some communities, claiming they were “well over 40 per cent across the board” and could reach 70 or 80 per cent in some areas.
Mr Holden also highlighted the potential health consequences when first‑cousin marriage occurs repeatedly across generations. “The knock-on consequences for both health when that’s generation after generation after generation, this isn’t just a one-off,” he said.
He argued the issue also raised questions about individual freedom. “There’s also the broader societal impacts when people are just being married within the community, and also that actual real challenge to individual freedom,” he said.
Mr Holden warned that avoiding difficult issues risked allowing them to persist across generations. “I think it’s something that we need to get a grip of in this country,” he said.
He accused the Government of trying to “sweep it under the carpet”, drawing a comparison with the grooming gangs scandal. “We’ve seen in the past where you sweep issues under the carpet, you don’t face them, like we saw with the grooming gangs issues,” Mr Holden said. “Those issues don’t go away. All they do is really cause problems for generation after generation after generation and cause harm to so many more people.”