An independent pro-Gaza MP rose in the Commons this afternoon to make an astonishing speech opposing a proposed ban on first-cousin marriages.
Dewsbury MP Iqbal Mohamed called on MPs to vote down a bill being introduced by Tory MP Richard Holden, which would ban people marrying their first cousins – a practice on the rise in Britain and other European countries due to recent immigration from some cultures.
Mr Mohamed said he objected to the proposed ban on a number of grounds, including claims it would be “unenforceable”.
He also demanded MPs respect “cultural differences” and should not “stigmatise” minorities entering into such arrangements.
He said that while virginity testing, forced marriages and oppression of women must be “opposed at all times”, but when it comes to first cousin marriages it should be opposed via a voluntary campaign of persuasion.
Mr Mohamed argued: “In discussing it, we should try to step into the shoes of those who are perhaps not from the same culture as ours.”
“An estimated 35%-50% of all subsaharan African populations either prefer or accept cousin marriages, and it’s extremely common in the Middle East and South Asia.
“The reason the practice is so common is that ordinary people see family intermarriage overall as something that is very positive, something that helps build family bonds and helps put families on a more secure financial foothold.”
MPs rejected these arguments and approved the bill for further debate.
The ban’s main proponent, former Tory chairman Richard Holden, said the ban was essential for a number of reasons including health defects in children, female coercion and societal harmony.
The top Tory explained that the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the early 8th Century put in place a ban on first cousin marriage, and by the 11th Century extended up to 6th cousins.
However the law was abolished by Henry VIII in 1540 in order to marry Catherine Howard.
He said Irish travellers in Britain have high rates of first cousin marriages of 20%-40%, with higher rates among British Pakistanis.
Mr Holden described it as a “worrying trend” that numbers have increased in recent years, and is now higher in prevalence than it was among their grandparents’ age group.
He said that health risks to children born of first-cousin marriages are “explicable” and well-known, with the child of first cousins carrying approximately double the risk of inheriting a serious disorder.
Earlier today shadow Justice Secretary Robert Buckland called on Labour to support Mr Holden’s Bill, slamming them as “shameful” for not doing so.
He told the Commons: “First cousin marriage has no place in Britain. The medical evidence is overwhelming.”
“It significantly increases the risk of birth defects. And the moral case is clear. We see hundreds of exploitative marriages which ruin lives. Frankly it should have been stamped out a long time ago.”
The Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government is planning to consult on reform to marriage law and will consider the issue before taking a public position.
