A cross-party group of MPs, peers and bereavement charities has called on the government to make digital wills legally valid, arguing the current law, dating back to 1837, is outdated and leaves millions of people without a valid will.
WERA Hobhouse MP, Baroness Udin and Lord Foster of Bath are among scores of politicians to have signed an open letter calling for the government to make digital wills legally valid.
Under the Wills Act 1837, a valid will must be made in writing and signed in the presence of two independent witnesses.
The open letter forms part of My Last Wish, a new campaign launched by digital life vault SafeKeep, which argues that the current law is old-fashioned and shuts millions of people out of making a valid will.
The campaign calls for secure, properly authenticated electronic wills to be legally recognised, in line with the Law Commission’s May 2025 recommendations, with safeguards built in to protect against fraud and undue influence.
The letter has been signed by seven cross-party MPs, including Wera Hobhouse MP, Matt Bishop MP and Ayoub Khan MP.
Further signatories include Sarah Williams, CEO of Accord Legal Services; Stephanie Patrick, Chief Executive of Widowed and Young; and Andrew Byres, founder of SafeKeep.
Around 23 million adults in the UK have no valid will, while more than £67 million from unclaimed estates went to the government last year because people died without one.
Campaigners warn that the current rules exclude many of the people who would benefit most from making a will, including those who are housebound and people living with serious illness.
Although the government has acknowledged that wills law is outdated, it has not yet set out a timetable for reform.
“Having run a funeral care business, I lost count of the families who fell apart at the worst possible moment because there was no will, or there was one but nobody could find it.
“The law simply has not kept up with how people live today. We can now manage our finances, medical records, and legal documents securely online, yet wills are still governed by rules written nearly 200 years ago.”
Andrew Byres, co-founder of SafeKeep
“Having a clear, up-to-date will won’t take away the pain of losing a loved one, but it can spare bereaved families unnecessary uncertainty, delays and disputes at a time when they are already facing the unimaginable.
Modernising the current system and making it easier for people to create and keep their wills up to date would be a significant step towards reducing that burden.”
Stephanie Patrick, Chief Executive of Widowed and Young
