The DWP is handing out more than £6,000 to second wives and third wives in the UK as part of benefits given to people in polygamous marriages - and the amount is being increased from April.

There’s a set of circumstances in which people who are married to a husband with more than one wife (or a wife with more than one husband) can claim an additional benefits allowance - and it’s all fully legal.

The DWP has confirmed in its benefits uprating list for 2025-26 that ‘additional spouses’ in ‘polygamous marriages’ are being given a 4.8% boost to their benefits from April.

The news has sparked fury from The Taxpayers' Alliance, which has called on Rachel Reeves to abolish the ‘astounding’ practice of sending money to individuals in polygamous marriages at a time when Income Tax brackets

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