UK raises welfare for additional spouses in polygamous marriages despite ban on practice – Allah's Willing Executioners

The provision applies to unions formed abroad in jurisdictions where polygamy is lawful, between partners domiciled in those countries at the time, who later relocated to Britain.
The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that “additional spouses” in “polygamous marriages” are receiving a 4.8 per cent rise in benefits from April 2026, even though polygamy and bigamy remain illegal in the country.
According to the department’s annual uprating list, second, third or fourth spouses living in polygamous households who are above state pension age can claim £125.25 (€145) per week each in Pension Credit or Housing Benefit, up from £119.50 (€138) in 2025-26.
There is no cap on the number of additional spouses who can claim the allowance, though the overall household benefit ceiling still applies.
The rise – worth roughly £5.75 (€6.65) per week or £299 (€346) per year – is tied to wage growth, the formula used to uprate Pension Credit each spring. Over a year, each …