A new campaign to reform wills legislation has been launched by Gina Miller, the businesswoman who first came to the fore by leading challenges to the government’s approach to Brexit.

Ms Miller has described the government’s failure to make it easier to have wills drawn up during lockdown and social distancing as “shameful”, Legal Futures reports.

She explained that laws need to reflect societal changes and also be updated in line with the digital age. 

“The government has brought in temporary emergency legislation in other areas such as mental health during the pandemic and we believe the peace of mind, emotional and financial security that can be gained by updating will legislation far outweighs any other concerns,” Ms Miller went on to say.

Thus far, the government hasn’t pushed forward with the easing of signing and witnessing requirements, in spite of the rise in demand during the coronavirus crisis and the issues with executing wills.

A recent survey commissioned by Ms Miller found that 58 per cent of adults in the UK currently do not have a will in place. And almost half of those asked supported temporarily allowing audio-visual witnessing or digital signatures when completing these documents during the crisis if temporary emergency witnessing laws were rolled out.

Human rights advocate Baroness Helena Kennedy has lent her support to the campaign, saying that it should be an option for people to express wishes verbally and have these recorded in the presence of witnesses, or verification to be achieved through the use of voice recognition technology.

Wills are important because they give you peace of mind that your estate will be divided up as you see fit after you die. Without one, your chosen beneficiaries may end up with nothing. For help with wills and probate in Gloucestershire, get in touch with us today.