Is polygamy (having more than one wife) legal in the UK for Muslims?

Islam permits a man to marry up to four wives under strict conditions of fairness and equal treatment, but the UK legally recognizes only one civil marriage at a time, making polygamy a criminal offense under British law regardless of religious belief. This means a second nikah performed in the UK carries full Islamic validity spiritually but holds zero legal standing in British courts, leaving the second wife completely unprotected in matters of inheritance, divorce settlement, and financial rights. Muslim scholars in the UK consistently advise men to understand this legal gap seriously before pursuing a second marriage, because the burden of injustice often falls entirely on the unprotected wife. Permission in Islam was never meant to become a loophole for avoiding responsibility. Allah knows best.