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A report has suggested that married couples considering a divorce should be forced to "cool off" for three months.

Proposals in a think tank report called Every Family Matters, published today by the Conservative Party, call for greater rights and tax incentives for married couples.

Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory leader and founder of the Centre for Social Justice think tank, said: "Instead of giving cohabitees similar legal rights to married couples, we have to warn people that they can only secure the legal protection of marriage by getting married.

"The cooling off period and the requirement for estranged couples to receive information about the implications of divorce will help save some worthwhile marriages," he added.

Counselling services and marriage classes were also recommended as part of measures that would reverse rights for cohabiting couples introduced by the Labour Party.

The move comes after an Appeal Court ruling backed the application of pre-nuptial agreements in divorce proceedings.

Although not legally binding in Britain, a pre-nuptial agreement made by German heiress Katrin Radmacher, 39, was backed by judges – meaning she did not have to pay ex-husband Nicolas Granatino £5.8 million.

But Mr Granatino, who in the pre-nuptial agreement promised never to claim any of her fortune, is expected to challenge the ruling by taking the case to the House of Lords.