COUPLES should have a compulsory three-month "cooling off" period before they can start divorce proceedings, according to Iain Duncan Smith.

A report, commissioned by think tank the Centre for Social Justice, Which is chaired by the Chingford and Woodford Green MP, says estranged husbands and wives should be required by law to undergo a period of reflection on the possibility of reconciliation before launching divorce proceedings.

The former Tory leader also proposes a network of relationship centres to help marriages on the rocks, along with tax breaks encouraging matrimony.