Marriage rates in England and Wales have fallen to their lowest level since records began in 1862 as a rising population increasingly shuns wedlock, government statisticians said yesterday.

The Office of National Statistics said a total of 232,990 couples tied the knot in 2008, down from 235,370 in 2007, with the number of marriages at their lowest since 1895.

Both Labour and the Conservatives have made the issue of marriage and the family a key election battle-ground.

The Conservatives, who accuse Labour of failing to encourage marriage and sound family values, have proposed tax breaks for married couples.

Labour has countered with a set of its own policy ideas aimed at supporting all parents regardless of their status.

The marriage rate, which the ONS said was the most important figure because it takes account of population changes, fell for a fourth consecutive year.

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