Den britiske Labour-regjeringen gir menn med flere hustruer rett til å kreve ekstra velferdsytelser. Til tross for at bigami er en kriminell handling i Storbritannia, innebærer regjeringens nye bestemmelse en formell, statslig anerkjennelse av polygame ekteskap «så lenge ekteskapene blir inngått i land der flerkoneri er tillatt».

Labour-regeringen åpnet samtidig for at den statlige, økonomiske støtten for flere koner kan betales direkte inn på mannens konto, og at menn med flere koner også har krav på velferdstillegg som bostøtte, samt skattefordeler som reflekterer størrelsen på mannens familie.

Bestemmelsen er hovedsakelig en fordel for muslimer, da sharia-lover tillater muslimske menn å ha inntil fire koner. Britiske ministere anslår at det eksisterer cirka tusen polygame ekteskap i Storbritannia, men innrømmer at det ikke finnes noen eksakte tall.

Regjeringens bestemmelse blir fordømt av opposisjonen, som anklager regjeringen for å tilby særfordeler til en spesiell gruppe og for å sette en presedens som vil føre til ytterligere krav om å endre britisk lov.

New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: «Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate … The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently £33.65.»

The ruling could cost taxpayers millions of pounds. Ministers launched a review of the benefit rules for polygamous marriages in November 2006, after it emerged that some families had benefited financially.

I gjennomgangen ble det imidlertid anbefalt at staten skulle fortsette med ekstrautbetalinger til familier der menn har flere koner. Fire departementer var involvert i gjennomgangen, som avgjorde at anerkjennelse av polygame ekteskap inngått i utlandet var den «best mulige» utveien. Avgjørelsen ble ikke offentliggjort.

Etter britisk lov er bigami kriminelt og har en strafferamme på opp til 7 år.

Islamic law permits men to have up to four wives at any one time – known as a harem – provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them.

A DWP spokesman claimed that the number of people in polygamous marriages entering Britain had fallen since the 1988 Immigration Act, which «generally prevents a man from bringing a second or subsequent wife with him to this country if another woman is already living as his wife in the UK».

While a married man cannot obtain a spouse visa to bring a second wife into Britain, some multiple partners may be able to enter the country via other legal routes such as tourist visas, student visas or work permits.

In addition, officials have identified a potential loophole by which a man can divorce his wife under British law while continuing to live with her as his spouse under Islamic law, and obtain a spouse visa for a foreign woman who he can legally marry.

«Entry clearance may not be withheld from a second wife where the husband has divorced his previous wife and the divorce is thought to be one of convenience,» an immigration rulebook advises. «This is so, even if the husband is still living with the previous wife and to issue the entry clearance would lead to the formation of a polygamous household.»

Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said that the decision was «completely unjustifiable».

«You are not allowed to have multiple marriages in the UK, so to have a situation where the benefits system is treating people in different ways is totally unacceptable and will serve to undermine confidence in the system.

«This sets a precedent that will lead to more demands for the culture of other countries to be reflected in UK law and the benefits system.»

Mr Grayling also accused the Government of trying to keep the ruling quiet because the topic is so controversial.

Telegraph: Multiple wives will mean multiple benefits