The Government has unveiled a new ‘no fault divorce’ law to prevent children from being damaged in a bid to “end the blame game” and “mudslinging” between parents under the current system.

The new legislation, to be announced Tuesday, aims to overhaul divorce law and reduce family conflict. It comes following overwhelming pressure from senior judges, lawyers, politicians and members of the public amid calls for reform.

Writing in The Telegraph , David Gauke, the justice secretary, said that under the current 50-year-old divorce law, there is a legal requirement to find a ‘guilty’ party which “leads to children being caught in the middle of a fractious and upsetting process”.

“Hostility and conflict between parents leave their mark on children and can damage their life chances.”

“Indeed, I have heard on many occasions that our divorce laws, as they stand, serve as an encouragement for some separating couples to grossly exaggerate their behaviour-based claims so that they don’t fall foul of the rules,” Mr Gauke added.