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The Attorney General has indicated that there may be changes to the closing rules that have led to the cancellation of weddings due to the coronavirus.
Robert Buckland told BBC Radio 4 that he was “anxiously considering” the effect of the possible changes.
Weddings, christenings and other ceremonies have been suspended due to the ban on gatherings of more than two people to stop the spread of the disease.
Buckland was questioned after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s television speech on Sunday.
He used the transmission to outline a “conditional plan” to reopen society in England.
He did not mention weddings or other large social gatherings.
The issue of weddings came up on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster hour when panelist Katy Balls, the Spectator’s deputy political editor, told the show that she was leaving for her honeymoon.
Balls had planned to leave a week after they were married, but said “both things are going to have to wait,” which she believes could be “long enough” after hearing Johnson’s speech.
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Buckland said he was giving “a lot of anxious consideration to the effect of possible changes” to the rules on marriage ceremonies, and urged people to “keep an eye on this space, we are working on it.”
He added that there are some people who really want to get married “because things are happening in their life, which means they may not be together for very long.”
One such case is that of Roy Wilson, who has terminal bone cancer. She married her long-term partner in hospital after she started showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Wilson, who tested negative for the virus, married Jill Hird after obtaining a special dispensation from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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Before the government announced the shutdown on March 23, the Church of England restricted wedding ceremonies to five people, including the bride and groom, the priest and two witnesses.
Some couples have chosen to hold virtual wedding ceremonies, inviting their friends and family to view them through video conferencing applications.
