And if one partner contests the divorce then this period has to be a minimum of five years before they’ll be considered eligible for divorce. And separation-based arrangements are effectively unavailable to those who cannot afford to run two households before resolving their financial arrangements post divorce. How will no-fault divorce change that? The new law will mean that instead of having to attribute blame for the breakdown of the relationship, a couple can mutually cite ‘irretrievable breakdown’ as the sole grounds for wanting to obtain a divorce. Watch more What is Divorce Day and when is it? This can be done in a joint statement or by an individual. Either spouse will be able to provide a statement saying it has broken down without having to provide evidence about bad .