The Law Commission have confirmed this week that they have been asked to carry out a detailed analysis of the current laws on financial remedies and to make proposals for reform.

The Law Commission is a government body charged with researching and proposing changes to the law. Although its proposals are not always implemented, they frequently are and usually offer thoroughly researched and relatively nonpartisan recommendations for change.

With 50 years having passed since the existing framework, set out in the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, many people feel that now is an opportune moment for review. The Law Commission plans to publish a scoping report by September 2024 which, they say, could provide the basis for a full review and future financial remedies reform. Anyone keen to see this area of law comprehensively reformed, therefore, should not hold their breath – any legislative changes arising out of this review are unlikely to take effect much before the end of the decade.