Ex-Tory leader attacks celebrity wedding culture

Mr Duncan Smith has renewed calls for the Government to fulfil the Conservative commitment to cut tax on married couples.

The Tory pledge was condemned as “patronising drivel” by Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg during last year’s election campaign, and has remained on the back-burner since the creation of the coalition Government.

But Mr Duncan Smith said the change – expected to be worth up to £500 a year to married couples – remained a “personal commitment” of Prime Minister David Cameron. He said he believed some Lib Dems would even vote for it.

Speaking at the launch of national Marriage Week in the House of Commons, Mr Duncan Smith cited research indicating that as many as 90 people of young people aspire to marry, but suggesting that some hold back for financial reasons.

And he dismissed the argument that the prospect of Government money would make no difference to a couple’s decision on whether to wed, saying: “Only those with money say that money has no bearing on whether people stay together.”

He said that a further obstacle to tying the knot was the ever-growing bill for modern weddings, which often top £20,000 as couples emulate celebrites in magazines like Hello!