Government hasn't done enough to encourage marriage, says Chief Rabbi

Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks said the Government had not done enough to encourage marriagePA

The UK's Chief Rabbi has expressed his disappointment at the Government's marriage policies.

Lord Sacks told The Times that the Government should recognise marriage in the tax system and give more support for stay-at-home mums or the cost of childcare provision.

"I think the Government has not done enough," he told the newspaper. "Although I don't take a party political stance ... I don't think the Government has done enough at all.

"The State has an interest in marriage because the cost of family breakdown and non-marriage, the last time I looked at it, was estimated at £9 billion a year."

Lord Sacks is about to step down from his position as Chief Rabbi after 22 years.

There is disagreement in the Coalition Government over Chancellor George Osborne's promise to include a tax break for married couples in his Autumn Statement. The Lib Dems oppose the measure.

There has been criticism within Osborne's own party of the new £1bn scheme to help working parents cover the cost of childcare.

Under the scheme, households with two working parents earning up to £300,000 a year will receive up to £1,200 for every child. However, households with one stay-at-home parent will not benefit.

The Chief Rabbi went on to criticise the concept of multiculturalism, saying it had created "segregation and inward looking communities".