A CAMPAIGN to update ancient laws on marriage certificates, which critics say discriminate against women, has been spearheaded by Meriden's MP.
Dame Caroline Spelman has co-ordinated the latest push to ensure that the mothers of the bride and groom are recorded on the official documents.
At present the paperwork only has space to note the name and occupation of the couple's fathers.
Those who have campaigned for the certificates to be updated have noted that the current format has remained unchanged since 1837 - the year that Queen Victoria came to the throne.
Past efforts to force a change have failed, in part because the Government had claimed that it could cost millions to replace tens of thousands of register books around the country.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron had previously endorsed the idea in 2014, admitting that the current arrangement didn't reflect modern Britain. But supporters of reform were frustrated when his administration later appeared to kick the issue into the long grass.
More recently Dame Caroline - who is the Church of England's official representative in the Commons - has been at the forefront of a renewed campaign, backed by a cross-party group of MPs. Now she has said that plans to implement a new digital record have finally paved the way for modernisation. Indeed, the MP's office reported last week that the proposal had been signed off by the Home Office.
She said: "Having fought a long-standing campaign in Parliament to bring about this change, I am delighted that the Home Office has indicated that it will support my Marriage Registration (No.2) Bill to change the way marriages are recorded in England and Wales and to include the names and occupations of mothers on marriage certificates for the first time.
"The introduction of a new, digital system of marriage entry will not only save money... but will right a historic wrong - something which has been called for by over 70,000 petitioners in recent years."
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