Prime Minister Boris Johnson has described forced marriages as a “despicable practice” after a communal group warned that some arranged marriages are tantamount to “coercion”.
 
Nahamu - a Jewish counter-extremism group - made a number of recommendations in a report on the issue including calling for a ban on marriages for those under 18. 
 
In response to the report, a spokesman for the PM said that forced marriages have "no place whatsoever in Britain or anywhere in the world".
 
The spokesman told reporters: "There have been significant steps since 2010 to tackle the despicable practice and the government has already significantly strengthened the law on forced marriage, and introduced lifelong anonymity for victims.”
 
Yehudis Fletcher, Nahamu founder, said earlier this week that while many arranged marriages “bring love and joy to families”, forced marriage is forbidden under Jewish law and a criminal offence.
 
“We want to ensure that everyone partaking in an arranged marriage has the full capacity to consent to it, so that there is no coercion or force,” she said.