Overview
- The Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, announced the plan on Tuesday to raise the life-sentence starting point for people who kill a partner or ex in the home from 15 years to 25 years.
- The government says the change responds to Ministry of Justice data showing domestic incidents make up more than a fifth of murders and that women are disproportionately the victims.
- The reform will apply only to future cases, will not be retrospective, and the MoJ says safeguards will preserve the lower 15-year baseline where a victim of prolonged domestic abuse kills their abuser.
- The change follows a seven-year campaign by three bereaved mothers from the Killed Women group and will be coordinated with the Law Commission’s wider homicide review due in 2028.
- Next steps include a formal Sentencing Council consultation to draft exact wording and rules, while some legal groups caution careful drafting to avoid unintended harm to abused defendants.