Criminal justice to be at the heart of King’s Speech

The King’s Speech will keep violent criminals locked up for longer and put victims front and centre of the criminal justice system.

Under the new package of legislation, which is at the heart of the Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead, the worst offenders will not only be kept behind bars for longer, but also forced to face their victims in court and hear first-hand how their crimes have devastated lives.

Through the new laws, due to be set out later today, the Government will build on the progress it has already made to keep our streets safer. Since 2010, in England and Wales, violent crime is down 52% and domestic burglary by 57%.  

Under the new Sentencing Bill, the most horrific murderers will face spending the rest of their lives locked up, including for any murder involving sexual or sadistic conduct. These heinous criminals will have little or no chance of ever being released and life will truly mean life.

The change in the law will mean that a Whole Life Order must be handed down in the worst cases, with judges only able to choose not to impose one in exceptional circumstances. 

The Bill will also make sure vile criminals who commit rape and other serious sexual offences face the full consequences of their actions and spend every day of their sentence behind bars, up from 50% when the Government came to power in 2010.

Judges will also be given more powers to make sure these horrific criminals attend court when their sentences are handed out to hear directly from victims and feel the weight of their crimes.  Through the Criminal Justice Bill, the Government will make clear in law that reasonable force can be used to make criminals appear in the dock. If offenders still refuse, they will face a further two years in prison.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of mind that comes with knowing your community, where you are raising your family and taking your children to school, is safe. That is my vision of what a better Britain looks like.

“Thanks to this Government, crime is down, but we must always strive to do more, taking the right long-term decisions for the country and keeping the worst offenders locked up for longer. In the most despicable cases, these evil criminals must never be free on our streets again.

“Life needs to mean life.”

In a further step to keep the worst offenders locked up for longer, through the Criminal Justice Bill, we will create a statutory aggravating factor at sentencing to make sure grooming gang members and their ring leaders receive the toughest possible sentences.

Murdering a partner at the end of a relationship will also become a statutory aggravating factor at sentencing.

Ministers will also continue to progress the Victims and Prisoners Bill, ensuring victims are at the heart of justice considerations. This will give Ministers the power to stop the parole of the worst offenders and stop them marrying in prison.

The Criminal Justice Bill will also give the police powers to drive crime and anti-social behaviour off our streets, tackling everyday crime that can cause misery to families across the country.

The police will have the power to enter a premises without a warrant to seize stolen goods, such as phones, when they have reasonable proof that a specific stolen item is inside a property or premises, for example based off GPS location tracking technology.

Building on the police’s commitment earlier in the year to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry, this will give the police greater powers to recover people's stolen property once they have made their enquiries and tracked it down.

As well as helping the police cut crime in our neighbourhoods, the Government will also take action to protect the British people from threats to national security in the face of rapidly changing new technology.

The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill will make sure the UK’s intelligence agencies continue to have the powers they need to tackle the evolving threats and technological advancements that provide new opportunities for terrorists, hostile state actors, child abusers and criminal gangs. 

By updating the 2016’s Investigatory Powers Act, the Government will make sure the UK’s existing investigatory powers framework remains fit-for-purpose and our security and law enforcement agencies have the powers they need to stay up to date with new technology.

This new legislative programme will build on the work the Government has already taken to cut crime and keep our streets safe, backed by 20,000 new police officers and the largest prison building programme in 100 years, creating over 20,000 more prison places.