Muslim Migrants With Multiple Wives Get Extra Benefits Even Though Polygamy Is Illegal in UK

In this Human Events article, the report highlights a UK benefits policy that allows some polygamous households to receive additional payments for extra spouses despite bigamy being illegal inside the country.

• The article says migrant men in the United Kingdom with multiple wives may receive additional government benefits for extra spouses.
• Human Events reports that the Department for Work and Pensions increased benefits for qualifying polygamous households last April.
• The increase reportedly came through the annual benefits uprating list, with additional spouses in “polygamous marriages” receiving a 4.8 percent benefits increase.
• The article cites The Express as reporting that an additional spouse above state pension age can receive £125.25 per week through Pension Credit or Housing Benefit, up from £119.50.
• The article notes that there is no stated limit on the number of additional spouses who may qualify, though overall household benefit caps still apply.
• The policy does not apply to new polygamous marriages conducted in the UK, where bigamy remains illegal.
• The article explains that some polygamous marriages may be recognized if they were entered into legally in another country before the household moved to Britain.
• Human Events cites a 2023 House of Commons report stating that UK marriages must be monogamous, while foreign polygamous marriages can be considered valid under certain conditions.
• The issue raises the obvious fairness question: why should British taxpayers subsidize family arrangements that the UK itself does not permit its own citizens to create?

Read the full story: https://humanevents.com/2026/05/10/muslim-migrants-with-multiple-wives-get-extra-benefits-even-though-polygamy-is-illegal-in-uk