Written Statements

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

Thursday 12 February 2026

Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister (Darren Jones)]

Last week, the House made a Humble Address to His Majesty for the Government to disclose material surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States of America. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office also updated the House this morning in response to an urgent question. Given the considerable interest this matter has generated, I wanted to provide an update on the process now under way through which the Government will comply.

Departments have been instructed to retain any material that may be relevant, and work is now under way to identify which documents fall in scope of the motion. We will publish a first set of documents as soon as possible after the House returns from recess.

The House will be aware of the statement from the Metropolitan police regarding the ongoing investigation. As you would expect, the Government rightly do not wish to release material that may undermine an ongoing police investigation, and as such we are working constructively with the police as they conduct their inquiries. I will update the House accordingly.

Senior officials have this week met with the Intelligence and Security Committee to discuss what the Committee requires in order to fulfil its role in relation to the Humble Address. We are working with the Committee to put in place processes for making available to them material relating to national security or international relations. The Government are very grateful to the Committee for its work and commit to full engagement with them to ensure these processes are timely and effective.

The Government continue to take this matter incredibly seriously given the nature of the issues at stake and scope of material in place, and we will ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency it deserves.

[HCWS1341]

Radio Review: Terms of Reference

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts (Ian Murray)]

Radio continues to be a strong and highly valued medium. It contributes significant public value through its provision of trusted news and diverse entertainment, and underpins the wider media plurality landscape in the UK. However, listening habits are continuing to evolve as even more people access radio via digital and online platforms, whether at home or on the move.

It is therefore important to consider the impact of changes in listener behaviour and audio markets over the past five years and assess the future challenges the BBC and commercial radio are likely to face in the coming years in order to support continued investment in radio.

I am pleased to announce the scope of a new radio review, which will take place in 2026. DCMS will come together with key industry organisations to carry out this review, which will be completed by the end of 2026. The review’s terms of reference are to:

(a) Investigate future scenarios for the consumption of UK radio and audio content on all platforms into the 2030s, taking into account likely models of future listener behaviour, market trends, and technical developments.

(b) Consider the impact of these scenarios on current and future distribution strategies for the UK radio industry and on the future availability of UK radio services for listeners on all platforms.

(c) Make recommendations—based as far as possible on a cross-industry consensus—on the future distribution of radio services and provide advice to Government on ways of strengthening the long-term viability of UK radio until the early 2040s.

[HCWS1333]

Telegraph Media Group: Proposed Acquisition

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

My Department has today written to Penultimate Investments Holdings Ltd and the Daily Mail and General Trust, the current and proposed owners of the Telegraph Media Group Holdings, in relation to the proposed acquisition of TMGH by DMGT.

In my written statement to Parliament and by letters to the parties, all on 20 January 2026, I confirmed that I was minded to intervene in and refer the proposed acquisition to a phase 1 investigation under the Enterprise Act 2002. Having given the parties the opportunity to make representations to me regarding the concerns raised in my letters to them, and having considered those representations in detail, I have now reached my final decision.

I have today informed the parties of my decision to issue a public interest intervention notice in relation to the proposed acquisition of TMGH by DMGT.

My decision to issue a PIIN relates to concerns I have that public interest considerations—as set out in section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002—may be relevant to the proposed acquisition of TMGH by DMGT, and that these warrant further investigation. The public interest considerations concerned are the need for a sufficient plurality of views in each UK market for news media and the need for a sufficient plurality of persons with control of media enterprises serving every different UK audience.

My decision to issue a PIIN triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority to report to me on jurisdictional and competition matters and for Ofcom to report to me on the media public interest considerations in section 58(2B) and 58(2C)(a) of the Enterprise Act 2002. I have asked both the CMA and Ofcom to report back to me by 10 June 2026.

My role as the Secretary of State in this process is quasi-judicial and procedures are in place to ensure that I act independently and follow a process that is fair, transparent and impartial.

DCMS will update Parliament after both reports from the regulators have been received and considered.

The PIIN can be found on gov.uk.

[HCWS1338]

Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: Baby Victoria Marten

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

In July 2025, Constance Marten and Mark Gordon were found guilty of the gross negligence manslaughter of their daughter, baby Victoria. The court heard that the couple had gone to great lengths to evade authorities, living in unsafe and transient conditions in the weeks following the birth. Their actions resulted in the death of a vulnerable newborn whose life should have been protected and supported from her very first moments. The death of Victoria was a profound tragedy, and the Government’s thoughts remain with all those affected.

While justice has now been served, and Victoria’s parents are serving prison sentences, nothing can repair the loss of her life, and it is incumbent upon us to do everything in our power to ensure such tragedies are prevented wherever possible.

Across the country, child protection professionals dedicate themselves to safeguarding vulnerable children, often in circumstances that test even the most resilient among them. I have no doubt that they, like all of us, were deeply shaken by what happened to Victoria. Yet as a safeguarding system, and as a society, we must have the courage to confront uncomfortable truths and examine openly where failures occurred.

Today’s publication by the child safeguarding practice review panel into the case of baby Victoria identifies a series of significant and complex safeguarding concerns, including concealed pregnancy, persistent non-engagement with services and practitioners, domestic abuse, risks posed by serious offenders, and the challenges that arise when families move frequently between local areas. It also highlights the need for more proactive, relational and multi-agency safeguarding and child protection practice, with clear pathways for support for parents and strengthened approaches to safeguarding unborn children.

As I noted in my statement following the heartbreaking murder of Sara Sharif in November 2025, this is precisely why we must press on with the sustained and meaningful reforms needed to strengthen co-ordination between local safeguarding partners, all firmly anchored in clear and authoritative national guidance. I want to reassure the House that this Government regard the review’s conclusions with the utmost gravity and will inform our ongoing programme of reforms to children’s social care, supported by the £2.4 billion investment announced by the Government to improve early interventions, family help and outcomes for vulnerable babies, children and their families. We are also considering how forthcoming changes to statutory guidance, working together to safeguard children, can better reflect the needs of babies and unborn children.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, now progressing through Parliament, represents an important step in our work to build a system that protects every child, especially the most vulnerable. Its purpose is simple but profound: to make sure that no child slips from view, and that when concerns arise, agencies act together swiftly and with clear purpose. Schools and early years settings will have a strengthened role in local safeguarding arrangements, recognising the trust they hold and the unique insight they so often have into a child’s daily life. New multi-agency child protection teams will bring professionals together to focus squarely on cases where there is a risk of significant harm, improving the speed and quality of the response and ensuring that expertise sits right where it is most urgently needed.

Better information sharing, supported by a single unique identifier, will help prevent the gaps through which children can sometimes tragically fall. And by giving local authorities clearer duties in relation to children who are educated at home, alongside establishing a register of children not in school, we will support families while also ensuring that no child becomes invisible to the system. Crucially, we are embedding family led decision making, because when a child’s safety is at stake, families deserve to be heard and involved in shaping the support around them.

These reforms matter not in the abstract, but because of children like baby Victoria. Her short life, and the unimaginable circumstances in which it ended, remind us of the devastating consequences when agencies cannot reach a child in time, when help is not accepted, or when families evade the very services designed to protect them. Nothing can undo the heartbreak of her loss. But we can, and must, let her memory sharpen our determination to build a system that is more alert, more joined up, and more capable of acting decisively when a child is at risk.

Through the families first partnership programme, we are also transforming how support is offered on the ground. Family help will ensure that families receive the right assistance at the moment they need it, not only to improve outcomes, but to prevent problems escalating into crisis. And by involving wider family networks through family group decision making, we can reduce unnecessary court processes, prevent children from entering care where it is safe to do so, and provide families with the stability and support they need to thrive.

All of this is about honouring the lives of children like baby Victoria by learning from what went so tragically wrong. It is about ensuring that no child is ever beyond our line of sight, and that every child grows up safe, supported, and surrounded by adults who are equipped and empowered to protect them.

While the distressing details of what happened to baby Victoria will not fade easily from memory, we must try not to let her be remembered only through the lens of tragedy. She deserves to be known not just for the harm she suffered, but for the cherished life that should have been hers. It is the recognition of her brief but precious existence that must strengthen our determination to ensure every child is given the safety, security and chance of happiness that she was so tragically denied.

I will provide a fuller written response to the panel’s recommendations by the summer, setting out the Government position and the steps we have taken—and will take—to strengthen the safeguarding system for all babies and families.

[HCWS1331]

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

Keeping children safe could not be more important to this Government and this afternoon, they are launching a public consultation on proposed changes to their “Keeping children safe in education 2026” statutory guidance. All schools and colleges in England must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is the primary source of guidance and support for schools and colleges.

Schools and colleges play a critical role in keeping children safe and KCSIE sets out the legal duties that schools and colleges must comply with, together with good practice guidance on what schools and colleges should do to keep children safe. The guidance is extensive, covering what staff should know and do to safeguard children, the management of safeguarding in schools and colleges, safer recruitment, responding to allegations of abuse against staff, handling reports on child-on-child sexual harassment and sexual violence.

The purpose of this consultation is to gather views on proposed changes to KCSIE 2026. The consultation will run for 10 weeks, closing on 22 April 2026. The proposed changes include among other things, further advice for school and college staff on:

Grooming gangs and serious violence (including weapons)

Operation Encompass (the duty on police forces to contact schools the next day following incidents of domestic violence)

Misogyny

Information sharing between safeguarding agencies ahead of a pupil’s child protection file being transferred where children move school

Child sexual abuse/criminal exploitation

Advice on mobile phone use

The consultation also includes advice to schools and colleges in relation to children who are questioning their gender. We have proposed separate new sections on toilets, changing rooms and showers, boarding and residential accommodation and single-sex sports. These sections are informed by the public consultation on the draft non-statutory “Gender Questioning Children” guidance for schools and colleges. This advice reflects the importance for schools and colleges of making careful decisions about what is in the best interests of children, including children who are questioning their gender. It draws on the Cass review of gender identity services for children and young people to set out the key principles that we expect schools and colleges to follow, including taking a strong stand against bullying, safeguarding all children, involving parents in decision making and taking a cautious approach, particularly in relation to primary-aged children. The guidance is clear that supporting social transition should not include allowing children into facilities designated for the opposite sex.

The consultation document, containing full details of the proposals and inviting responses will be available via gov.uk. Copies of the consultation document and departmental advice will also be deposited in the Library of each House.

[HCWS1339]

Vincent Chan: Sentencing

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)]

In December, I gave a statement to the House on the Metropolitan police investigation into child sexual abuse in Camden. Today, Vincent Chan is due to appear for sentencing at Wood Green Crown court in relation to 56 offences, to which he has pleaded guilty.

His crimes are absolutely sickening, and our thoughts remain with the children and families affected as they continue to receive the support they need. We will continue to assess what more can be done to stop vile acts like these from happening again.

A local child safeguarding practice review is currently being conducted and that must take its course.

Children's safety is at the very heart of this Government’s plan for change. That is why we are taking action to strengthen child protection.

Last September, we strengthened requirements in the early years foundation stage for early years providers to follow robust safer recruitment practices, including appropriate pre-employment checks, ongoing suitability monitoring and clear whistleblowing procedures.

We are putting a renewed focus on strengthening safeguarding across early years with our new expert panel soon to start work on CCTV and digital devices guidance. The guidance will set out best practice, technical information and clear expectations. The expert advisory group will also consider whether CCTV ought to be mandatory in early years settings.

We are also introducing free, universal safeguarding training for staff working in early years settings in collaboration with the NSPCC. This will support staff to meet statutory safeguarding requirements and help embed a strong and open safeguarding culture across early years settings.

And we are working with Ofsted to introduce reporting on larger nursery chains, so that issues that span a group of providers can be addressed. We are funding Ofsted to inspect all new early years providers within 18 months of opening and move towards inspecting all providers at least once every four years. Ofsted will continue to keep all settings under review to ensure that visits take place when risk assessments deem them necessary.

Our Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill marks the most significant reform to child protection in a generation. It will deliver stronger multi-agency child protection teams and better information sharing between police, education, health and social workers, so that no child falls through the cracks again.

And through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are making it mandatory for child sex abuse incidents to be reported and making it illegal to prevent someone reporting them, so that no child is left invisible when facing child sexual abuse.

In December, the Government put forward proposals for a new child protection authority to protect children from harms including sexual exploitation and abuse, domestic violence, trafficking, organised crime, and other complex risks.

The CPA will provide strategic oversight of child protection and safeguarding threats nationwide and was a key recommendation of Alexis Jay’s IICSA report on group-based child sexual exploitation.

Keeping children safe is one of the most important duties of any society. I want to thank our early years staff and wider children’s services workforce, who work hard, day in and day out, to give the children of this country the best start in life. This Government will work with them, and with the victims and families affected, to continue to strengthen child protection. We will root out abuse wherever it hides, and we will never stop working to rid our society of this evil.

[HCWS1332]

Warm Home Discount Cost Recovery Consultation: Government Response

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Martin McCluskey)]

I am today announcing the publication of the Government’s response to the December 2025 consultation on warm home discount cost recovery. The response confirms our intention that the costs of the warm home discount should be recovered from the unit rate for electricity and gas from 1 April 2026, subject to changes to the price cap methodology that Ofgem has consulted on separately.

Since its inception in 2011, the warm home discount has delivered over £4.53 billion in support across Great Britain, primarily benefiting those in or at risk of fuel poverty. It remains a key policy in the Government’s programme to tackle fuel poverty and reduce energy costs for low-income households, primarily through the provision of £150 energy bill rebates each winter, funded through a levy on domestic gas and electricity customers.

This Government recognise the pressure on the cost of living. Tackling fuel poverty and reducing energy bills remain priorities. At the Budget, the Government announced measures expected to take an average of £150 off household energy bills from April 2026. Moving warm home discount cost recovery to the unit rate complements these wider steps to improve fairness and affordability as it means that those who use less energy pay less towards the policy costs. We have also published the warm homes plan and the fuel poverty strategy for England, which together set a pathway to lift up to 1 million households out of fuel poverty by 2030.

Between 8 December 2025 and 6 January 2026, we received 778 responses from individuals, consumer and advocacy groups, energy suppliers and other stakeholders. Overall, there was strong support for moving cost recovery away from the standing charge and on to the unit rate on fairness grounds for low-use households.

Having considered the evidence, the Government have decided that unit rate recovery will proceed from April 2026. This approach links contributions more closely to actual consumption and is fairer for lower-use customers. We recognise concerns about households with unavoidably high energy needs, such as those using electric heating or medical equipment. When taken together with wider bill changes announced at the Budget, the net impact on typical consumers is expected to be a reduction in costs. For example, modelling suggests that a typical high-usage, electrically heated household might save £395 annually when the switch to unit rates is combined with the measures announced at the Budget.

To support accurate and fair delivery, we will update energy supplier reconciliation arrangements so that their obligations are settled against energy volumes supplied. We will also introduce an industry-wide feedback mechanism so that any aggregate under or over-recovery arising from differences between forecast and actual demand in one scheme year is corrected in the following year. As with this scheme year, we also intend to continue with earlier interim reconciliation for the next scheme year and will keep the arrangements under review, working with Ofgem and engaging industry as needed.

The consultation also sought views on placing a greater share of warm home discount recovery on gas to support wider rebalancing between gas and electricity. We are not proceeding with this at this stage because of concerns about potential distributional impacts on low-income, gas-reliant households, particularly in colder or less efficient homes.

Subject to Ofgem’s related price cap methodology changes and parliamentary approval, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will lay the Warm Home Discount (Reconciliation) Regulations 2026 later this year. We will work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to support a smooth transition from 1 April 2026.

[HCWS1336]

NHS Agenda for Change Workforce

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

Today, I am announcing that from April 2026, over 1.4 million NHS staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions will receive a 3.3% pay rise.

The uplift is above the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast inflation of 2.2% for 2026-27, delivering a real terms pay rise for NHS staff.

It will be in pay packets from April for the first time in six years. We have listened to the workforce and understand the difficulties they face when pay awards are not delivered on time. That’s why this Government committed to speeding up the pay review process, remitting the pay review bodies months earlier than previous years, and submitting written evidence earlier too.

In making this award, I am accepting in full the recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body for 2026-27. Their report recognises the vital contribution that NHS staff make to our country.

This award is above the Government’s affordability position set out in their evidence to the NHSPRB. As we are delivering the pay round much earlier this year, announcing now in February, the business planning process for the Department of Health and Social Care and its arm’s length bodies is under way. The existing challenging productivity and efficiency commitments required by ICBs and providers to deliver breakeven positions are the foundations of the Government’s ability to fund this within the existing settlement. This additional pressure above affordability will be managed by DHSC and ALBs (including NHSE central budgets) but none of the pay increases will be paid for by cutting frontline services.

As part of the overall AfC pay package for 2026-27, we will progress talks with trade unions and employers at pace, through the NHS Staff Council, to agree and implement funded improvements to the AfC pay structure. These talks will build upon discussions held to date exploring the feasibility of multi-year arrangements, and separate funding will be made available for these reforms as committed to in response to the 2025-26 PRB recommendation on pay structure reform. Once agreed, the reforms will deliver additional pay increases for some staff that will be effective from, and backdated to, 1 April 2026. Our priorities will be to improve pay for those on the lowest pay bands in support of the Government’s commitment to “make work pay” and to improve pay for graduates across all professions. This will recognise and build on the work of the staff council to identify its priorities.

We will continue to implement commitments to improve the support NHS staff receive and their experience at work, as well as improving nursing career progression, investing in job evaluation to ensure that all staff are paid fairly for the work they are asked to do, and supporting newly qualified staff. Improving the experience of work for all staff, ensuring the NHS is a great place to work, is fundamental to improving the patient experience: from reducing the backlog in elective care, to ensuring timely access to GP appointments.

The NHSPRB report will be presented to Parliament and published on gov.uk

[HCWS1340]

Foundation Strategic Authorities

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Miatta Fahnbulleh)]

Over the last year, this Government have made clear the scale of its ambition on English devolution. We introduced the transformational English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. We launched the devolution priority programme—one of the largest ever packages of mayoral devolution in England, worth close to £200 million per year over 30 years, split across six areas. And today I am pleased to announce another significant step forward in our devolution agenda: an invitation to all areas in England that do not have devolution, to bring forward with their neighbours an expression of interest for a foundation strategic authority. The Government welcome such expressions of interest over the coming weeks, and we will begin reviewing responses from 20 March.

This new wave of foundation strategic authorities will ensure that more areas than ever before are able to access the benefits of devolution. The Government remain firmly committed to mayoral devolution and is forging ahead with it, including through the devolution priority programme, but we have been clear that this model works best when built on firm foundations. This includes the strong unitary structures we are creating through local government reorganisation, but we also see foundation strategic authorities as a crucial way to build local capacity and partnerships as a stepping stone towards mayoral devolution in the future. In areas undergoing reorganisation and interested in establishing a foundation strategic authority, we are keen to work with local partners to agree how best to manage the two processes.

As set out in the “English Devolution” White Paper and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, foundation strategic authorities will have devolved powers over transport and infrastructure, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, economic development and regeneration, environment and net zero, health, wellbeing and public service reform, and public safety. They will also receive devolved funding in areas such as local transport and skills, and the Government are currently consulting on giving foundation strategic authorities the power to raise an overnight visitor levy.

Separately, Minister Pennycook has also made an associated statement announcing the launch of a non-statutory consultation on the geographies for spatial development strategies. We strongly believe that strategic planning is most effective when done over devolution geographies. We will therefore work with local areas to ensure that geographies for foundation strategic authorities and spatial development strategies are aligned where possible. However, it will be for local areas to propose a devolution geography that can support strong partnership working across their local economy. The Government are committed to working with all areas to establish the right economic partnerships and to empower leaders across the country to deliver growth and prosperity for their communities.

[HCWS1335]

Sub-regional Strategic Planning

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook)]

The Government were clear in their manifesto that housing need in England cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale. That is why we committed to introducing effective new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning.

In the English devolution White Paper, “Power and partnership: Foundations for growth”, published in December 2024, we reaffirmed our intention to reintroduce mandatory strategic planning through the production of sub-regional spatial development strategies (SDSs) across England.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act, which received Royal Assent in December 2025, contains provisions that place a duty on combined authorities, combined county authorities, upper-tier county councils and unitary authorities to prepare an SDS for their area. The Bill also enables the Government to establish “strategic planning boards" to prepare SDSs on behalf of specified groupings of these authorities. These provisions will be brought into force this summer.

The rollout of SDSs will reintroduce a strategic tier to the planning system in England. SDSs are intended to be high-level spatial frameworks for housing growth and infrastructure investment. They will ensure that sub-regional areas can effectively plan to meet their housing needs; co-ordinate the provision of strategic infrastructure; grow their economies; and improve the environment and climate resilience. They will set the context for local plans which will have to be in “general conformity” with the SDS once it has been adopted.

We remain committed to ensuring universal coverage of up-to-date local plans as quickly as possible. The production of SDSs should not be used as a reason to delay the preparation of local plans.

Mayoral strategic authorities will prepare the SDS for their area. In areas without mayoral strategic authorities, the responsibility for producing SDSs will sit with non-mayoral foundation strategic authorities. Where these do not exist, responsibility will sit with upper tier county councils and unitary authorities who will, in most cases, be required to work together to produce SDSs.

We set out in the English devolution White Paper that we will generally expect these authorities to work together to produce SDSs over “sensible geographies” as defined within it. The Planning and Infrastructure Act sets out a formal mechanism to enable such groups of authorities to work together, namely a strategic planning board. These will operate in a similar way to joint planning committees that have been established to co-ordinate the preparation of joint local plans in some parts of England.

Today, we are launching a consultation on the geography for SDSs. The consultation identifies a number of groupings where we understand that there is a degree of broad agreement about the principle of working together, and in these areas we propose an SDS geography. In other areas where such agreement is tenuous or lacking entirely, we are inviting proposals to help inform final decisions.

Where areas are able to quickly confirm their support for a particular grouping, my officials will look to work with those authorities to agree the terms for a strategic planning board. These will then be subject to statutory consultation. To support SDS production, the Government have identified a funding package. We expect to make some initial payments in March and to confirm the full package in the summer.

Separately, Minister Fahnbulleh has also made a statement to the House, announcing the next step forward in the Government’s English devolution agenda: an invitation from the Secretary of State for all areas in England without an existing devolution agreement to come forward with their neighbours with an expression of interest for a new foundation strategic authority (FSA). In the vast majority of cases, we would expect the geographies for SDSs to align with foundation strategic authorities.

[HCWS1337]

Youth Knife Possession

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

The Minister for Policing and Crime, my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon West (Sarah Jones), and I have published new Government guidance on child knife-possession offences.

This guidance, applying to all police forces and youth justice services throughout England and Wales, sets a clear expectation that children who break the law by carrying a knife should receive a swift, robust and evidence-based response, including tailored support and high-quality interventions delivered by youth justice services.

Knife crime has destroyed far too many lives, and this Government have set an ambitious but essential target to halve knife crime over this decade. We are already making tangible progress.

Since the start of this Parliament, knife crime has fallen by 8%, meaning 4,229 fewer offences. Knife homicides are down by 27% and hospital admissions for stabbings have fallen by 11%. We have banned dangerous weapons such as ninja swords and zombie-style machetes, and we have taken nearly 60,000 knives off our streets.

But for too long, children found in possession of knives have not faced swift and sufficiently robust consequences to prevent reoffending. Young knife carriers have been given empty warnings and, in some cases, simply have been required to write letters of apology to their victims. Our estimates suggest around 1,000 children who are currently caught in possession of a knife face no meaningful consequences or intervention. These are inadequate responses to child knife-possession offences, which do not result in a meaningful intervention to address the offending behaviour, or a penalty. We are changing this.

In our manifesto, we committed to ensuring that every child caught in possession of a knife would be referred to a youth justice service and receive a mandatory plan to prevent reoffending. This marks an important milestone in the Government’s mission to halve knife crime within a decade and to make our streets safer.

The guidance brings about greater clarity and consistency to operational partners and will require a step change in the way that the criminal justice system responds when a child is found in possession of a knife. This guidance makes clear our expectation that the response to knife possession should always be swift, robust, evidence-based and thorough. Police will swiftly refer every knife possession case to youth justice services— multi-agency, local authority-based teams working with children at risk of offending—who will then design a targeted action plan for each child.

Specialised plans will address the root causes of the child’s offence, whether that’s exploitation by criminal gangs or childhood trauma. Targeted action could include mentoring schemes or support to remain in education, giving children the foundations they need to turn their back on crime and keep our streets safe. Repeat offending or refusal to engage with a mandatory plan will be met with robust action, including criminal charges.

The guidance will be accompanied by more comprehensive data collection, which will provide a clearer picture of which interventions are most effective at preventing reoffending. In addition, local scrutiny and independent inspections by His Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary and fire and rescue services and His Majesty’s inspectorate of probation will ensure the guidance is being implemented.

We thank all partners across policing and youth justice services for their expert support in developing this guidance. This is an important step in strengthening the police and youth justice response to children who carry knives.

The guidance will be made available on gov.uk.

A copy of the guidance will also be deposited in the Library of the House.

[HCWS1330]

Youth Justice System

Thursday 12th February 2026 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

Today I have published a policy statement setting out the first stages of the Government plan to modernise and reform the youth justice system so that it is fit for the future.

The youth justice system in England and Wales has seen considerable success in recent decades, with significant reductions in first-time entrants, proven offences, and the number of children in custody. This reflects the dedication of our frontline professionals and volunteers who make up that system.

However, the children who come into contact with the system today often present with increasingly complex needs and face significant barriers to rehabilitation. To continue protecting the public and prevent further victims, the system must evolve.

Our statement sets out the Government first phase of reforms to modernise how youth justice services are funded, governed and supported. It focuses on strengthening early intervention, reducing unnecessary use of custody, ensuring accountable and supportive governance, and providing frontline services with greater confidence in their funding, in return for stronger outcomes.

This publication lays the groundwork for further reforms, which we will set out the Government vision for a reformed youth justice system.

We are proud to be introducing more dependable funding arrangements for youth justice services. From this financial year, multi-year funding settlements will give frontline services the certainty they need to plan ahead and manage their resources more effectively. We will provide £281 million over three years for the youth justice core grant, alongside extended, multi-year investment for the successful turnaround programme—a further £46 million over three years—enabling youth justice services to continue their vital work diverting vulnerable children away from crime.

In the light of the evolving youth justice landscape, the statement also outlines reforms to oversight structures. These include refocusing the youth justice board towards supporting the frontline in a continuous improvement role, while transferring responsibility for the development, funding and monitoring of youth justice policy to direct ministerial oversight in the Ministry of Justice.

This Government are committed to a youth justice system that embraces the latest technology and data. As part of our wider plan for this, we will establish an expert advisory council to support the responsible use of analytics and artificial intelligence to strengthen early intervention and improve outcomes.

Ensuring custody is used only as a last resort for children remains a central priority of this Government. Too many children are detained in custody on remand but then receive a community sentence, an experience which can be damaging to the child’s life outcomes and at high financial cost to local authorities. To reduce unnecessary custodial remands, we will change the way annual youth remand funding is distributed, supporting local authorities to take a regional approach to develop stronger community remand and bail support options. We will invest a further £5 million through regional remand partnerships to create community remand placements, with particular focus on specialist fostering.

In addition, I have established a new departmental board to drive improvements to standards in youth custody. This statement outlines some of the initial steps we are taking to improve safety, education, time out of room and staffing in the youth estate.

This statement lays the foundations for further reforms that will be announced in the spring. These proposals, taken together, will offer the most significant reforms to the youth justice system in a generation, supporting this Government’s clear missions to make our streets safer and to break down barriers to opportunity for the most vulnerable children.

The full policy statement will be laid before the House and it will also be made available on gov.uk.

[HCWS1334]