Polygamy in the UK

I blogged recently about the recent government decision that "Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review...Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review".


I thought that under Islamic law, a man can only take on up to four wives if he can afford to do so; if he cannot, then he the marriages are illegitimate and they are not his wives. I suppose the argument will be that he can NOW afford to have four wives as the British state is kindly paying for them.