A family judge says marriage and cohabitation should be put on the same legal footing when relationships break down – but a newspaper columnist says he is ‘utterly and sadly mistaken’. Sir Nicholas Mostyn’s comments were reportedly aimed at Sir Paul Coleridge – a former High Court judge who has spoken out in favour of traditional marriage. He also claimed that there was no evidence to prove marriage is more stable than a co-habiting relationship. However, columnist Sarah Vine said there was a ‘mountain of academic research proving beyond doubt that married couples are healthier, wealthier, happier and less likely to break-up than co-habiting ones. All these benefits also apply to the children of married parents’. Last year research from the Marriage Foundation said only one in eight children born to cohabiting couples will reach the age of 16 with their parents still together and unmarried