Attorney General

The Crown Prosecution Service has issued proceedings under Section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023, in relation to one case, since it was commenced on 31 October 2024.

As a former Home Secretary, she will understand that the Government cannot comment on any live investigations or criminal proceedings.

To assist with my oversight of the Serious Fraud Office, I hold regular superintendence meetings with the SFO’s executive team to keep me appraised of relevant SFO casework matters.

The SFO is a relatively small, highly specialised government department that is permitted by law to investigate only the most serious and complex cases of fraud and bribery affecting the UK.

Decisions on which cases to investigate are taken independently by the SFO, with the Director determining whether to authorise an investigation in accordance with the criteria set out in the Director’s Statement of Principle.

The AGO has not made any direct ministerial appointments.

The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain a central record of office attendance rates. Office attendance is monitored at a local level.

In June 2025 the CPS began a pilot in the West Midlands which offers victims of rape and serious sexual assault the opportunity to have a separate prosecutor review the case before any final decision is taken to stop the case in court. If that prosecutor concludes that the Full Code Test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors is met, the case will continue.

The number of decisions eligible for review under the pilot have so far been low. These volumes have meant an evaluation of the pilot has not been possible to date. Evaluation is essential, and the pilot will continue to allow enough evidence to be gathered to assess its effectiveness.

Consideration is also being given to expanding the pilot to support a thorough evaluation.

The Attorney sits on the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee. As part of the process of approving a government Bill for introduction, as set out in the published Guide to Making Legislation, a legal issues memorandum is prepared for this Committee. This will set out all relevant legal issues.

Whether the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice outside of the PBL process is covered by the Law Officers' Convention. This Convention provides that whether or not the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice, and the contents of any such advice, is not disclosed outside Government.

This protects the Law Officers’ ability as chief legal advisers to the Government to give full and frank legal advice and provides the fullest guarantee that government business will be conducted at all times in light of thorough and candid legal advice.

The Law Officer Departments have a capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) as follows:

2025-26 – 0.1b

2026-27 – 0.1b

2027-28 – 0.1b

2028-29 – 0.2b

2029-30 – 0.0b

Future years CDEL allocations are subject to planning in the usual way.

The department has no spend on LinkedIn membership fees, and has a total spend in 2024/25 of £4,322.00 on other subscriptions.

The SFO has sponsored three visas for staff since July 2024.

The UK-France Treaty is an innovative pilot designed to deter illegal migration across the Channel. Litigation related to this pilot was anticipated and we are concentrating resources on robustly defending this so that removals can continue as planned. As of 28 November, 153 individuals have been returned to France through this agreement.

Operational details on the pilot are sensitive, and we will not be disclosing such information as it could inadvertently assist the organised immigration crime gangs that are behind small boats crossings.

Cabinet Office publishes sickness absence data for the Civil Service on an annual basis, including by organisation and by absence reason. I refer you to the statistics publicly available which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The next release is likely to be around 18 December 2025.

From 1 April 2009 up to 31 March 2025, manual records indicate there have been 199 cases referred to the CPS by law enforcement partners that have been recorded as encouraging or assisting suicide. The DPP has provided consent to prosecute in six cases. Five of these cases have been successfully prosecuted, and one was acquitted after trial. These figures are published on the CPS website and will next be updated in April 2026.

The Crown Prosecution Service makes prosecution decisions independently.

CPS prosecutors are committed to protecting the principles of free expression and to prosecuting objectively and fairly, in accordance with the two-stage test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

This Labour government is committed to bringing back control and fairness to our border.

By long-standing convention, the fact that I, or a fellow Law Officer, may have advised or not advised, as well as the content of our advice, is not disclosed outside government.

As explained in Erskine May: “By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Acting recklessly with or throwing fireworks can cause life-changing injuries. These actions can result in criminal prosecution and/or civil liability, depending on whether the injury was caused deliberately, recklessly or negligently.

There are numerous offences this can fall under, including: s.39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (common assault/battery) or from the+ Offences against the Person Act 1861: s47 (assault occasioning actual bodily harm), s20 (wounding/inflicting grievous bodily harm), s18 (wounding/causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do grievous bodily harm), s28 (grievous bodily harm by the unlawful explosion of gunpowder or other explosive substance), s29 (unlawfully causing gunpowder or some other explosive substance to explode with intent to cause grievous bodily harm). The charge chosen will depend on the facts and circumstances of the case and the level of injury caused.

During the most recently available 12 months (ending June 2025) management information shows that a total of 102,493 offences charged by way of the above legislation, commenced prosecution in magistrates’ courts. Of these charges the CPS is unable to identify which offences specifically involved fireworks as opposed to physical assaults or the use of other types of weapons, without a manual review of each case, which would incur disproportionate cost.

If an injury is caused through negligence (e.g. due to an accident at a private or publicly organised display) the person who set off the firework (or the event organiser/landowner) may be sued for damages in a civil court. Information on proceedings in civil courts is held by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

The Government Legal Department has not incurred any translation and interpretation services costs in the last five years.

There has been a significant increase in demand, as well as costs for translation services post Covid. This has led to a necessary increase in expenditure on translation and interpretation services. We continue to regularly monitor expenditure to ensure best value for money for taxpayers.

Crown Prosecution Service has spent the following on translation and interpretation services over the last five financial years:

Sentencing decisions in individual cases are a matter for our independent judiciary. Sentencers must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the Sentencing Council, unless not in the interests of justice to do so. The guidelines provide a structured approach for sentencers to follow and are designed to help enhance consistency and transparency in sentencing.

The Sentencing Council keeps the guidelines under review continuously. Cases will vary widely in seriousness and complexity. Constantly evolving case law also helps to shape and influence how these are applied.

The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme allows Law Officers to ask the Court of Appeal to review exceptional cases where there has been a gross error, or the sentence is unduly lenient.

The Sentencing Council itself is within the policy area of the MOJ and my office, with its public interest role in bringing justice in qualifying cases only, is necessarily independent of it.

Almost all the SFO’s cases are connected to other jurisdictions and often include overseas suspects or witnesses and involve significant amounts of evidential material. This means that it needs to make use of translation services in its work. We regularly monitor expenditure to ensure best value for money for taxpayers.

Its expenditure on translation services is contained in the following table.

The SFO has not made use of any interpretation services in the last five financial years.

By long-standing convention, the fact that I, or a fellow Law Officer, may have advised or not advised, as well as the content of our advice, is not disclosed outside government.

As explained in Erskine May: “By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence."

The Law Officers are aware of the possibility of a private prosecution, but have not engaged in discussions on its potential merits with any representative of the House of Commons.

The review into the future publication of the Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list is nearing completion, and publication will remain suspended until it has concluded.

The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities since 4 July 2024.

The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.

The Department has not made an estimate of the difference in capital cost between the electric vehicles purchased and comparable petrol or diesel models.

While the outcome in this case is of course very disappointing, I am also confident that the National Security Act 2023, which was not in force at the time of the conduct concerned, now provides us with enhanced powers that properly reflect the modern-day threats we face.

There is now a wealth of material and evidence, including from the Attorney General, which has been provided to the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy’s inquiry into these matters and which cover the requests for evidence and responses provided.

Offences relating to the dangerous use or misuse of fireworks can be prosecuted under Section

80 of the Explosives Act 1875 (throw or light a firework in a highway, street or public place),

Section 131(1(d)) and Section 161(2(b)) of Highways Act 1980 (light a fire/discharge a

firework/firearm within 50 feet of a public highway), Section 28 of the Town and Police Clauses

Act 1847 (throw a firework/missile/discharge a firearm/light a fire in the street) and Section 2 of

the Football (Offences) Act 1991 (throw a missile onto a football pitch or adjacent area).

Management information is held by the CPS showing the number of offences in which a

prosecution commenced during each of the last five years for the above legislation.

Of these charges the CPS is unable to identify which offences specifically involved fireworks as

opposed to other types of missiles, without a manual review of each case, which would incur

disproportionate cost.

There is no indication of the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at

the time of finalisation. It is often the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than

one offence.

The Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) Scheme is an important safeguard in England and Wales which enables victims to seek a review of certain CPS decisions not to start a prosecution or to stop a prosecution.

Access to the VRR Scheme has been deliberately designed to be as simple as possible, with no reasons or justification for requesting a review required.

To ensure victims are aware of their entitlements, in all correspondence where a decision is taken to stop a case, and the victim is eligible to request a review under the VRR scheme, information is provided about the VRR scheme and how it can be accessed.

The CPS also has published and keeps under regular review guidance which sets out how the scheme works, including what decisions can be reviewed, who can request a review, how to request a review and the stages of review.

The CPS publishes data showing the number of VRR requests it received and the total number of decisions which were overturned as a result.

In addition to the VRR scheme, there is also a VRR pilot being trialled by CPS West Midlands which was launched in June 2025. Under the pilot, survivors of rape or serious sexual abuse will be offered the right to request a review by a different prosecutor before their case is dropped. The results of this pilot will soon be evaluated.

There is no single budget ring-fenced for direct engagement with (a) civil society groups and (b) young people within the Attorney General's Office as a department. Ministers and officials meet with many civil society groups and young people as you would expect, in line with workstream priorities, and these are declared and publicised in the normal way. For example, the Attorney General was pleased to attend a recent event at Cumberland Lodge to engage with young people learning about human rights and looks forward to undertaking a series of school visits in due course.

In July 2025, His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) published its

inspection report on early advice and pre-charge decision-making in adult rape cases. In

response to the report’s recommendations, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is implementing

a new Rape Action Plan.

The Plan aims to ensure that the quality of the CPS’s rape casework is of a consistently high

standard, with a focus on providing enhanced oversight of legal decision-making, supporting and

upskilling prosecutors, and increasing public confidence. The Plan is still under development and

has not yet been finalised.

Following the publication of the HMCPSI report, the CPS convened an engagement session with

national stakeholders from the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector to discuss the

findings and outline the actions the CPS would be taking under a new Rape Action Plan. The

CPS continues to engage regularly with these stakeholders through its established consultation

group. At a local level, CPS Areas maintain a range of engagement mechanisms, including local

scrutiny panels and dedicated Inclusion and Community Engagement Managers. Both national

and local channels will be used to keep relevant stakeholders informed as the Rape Action Plan

progresses.

The CPS remains resolute in its determination to increase the number of rape cases capable of

being taken to court each year, so that more victims – irrespective of their background and

circumstances – can see justice. It greatly values the expertise and insights of external

stakeholders and is grateful for their continued engagement as it works towards this ambition.

This government is committed to halving violence against women and girls. This is my number

one priority as Solicitor General.

The CPS’s focus on tackling VAWG is driving an increase in charges across a range of VAWG

offences.

For adult rape prosecution, the CPS continues to transform its approach through the

implementation of their National Operating Model, based on robust academic evidence from

Operation Soteria. Through this work, there has been substantial increases in referral, charge,

and prosecution volumes for adult rape.

Similarly for Domestic Abuse (DA), the CPS and NPCC launched the DA Joint Justice Plan in

November 2024 with the aim to improve partnership working between investigators and

prosecutors, and over the last year this has led to increases in charge volumes by 10% and

conviction volumes by 7%.

To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, work is

ongoing to deliver the activities within the CPS’s VAWG Strategy for 2025-2030. This will ensure

that prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively leading to a positive

impact on prosecution rates.

CPS North East is making measurable progress. In the twelve months to June 2025, CPS North East prosecuted 26,187 defendants with a conviction rate of 86.2%, which is comfortably above the national average of 82.9%.

The below table provides details of the volume suspects charged by CPS North East and the charge rate as a proportion of all legal decisions:

The following table provides the number of defendants convicted in the North East, the total number of defendants prosecuted and the conviction rate:

It is an important legal principle, as confirmed by the Bar Council, that “barristers do not choose their clients, nor do they associate themselves with their clients’ opinions or behaviour by virtue of representing them”.

Law Officers, by their experience and professional nature have an extensive legal background and may have previously been involved in a wide number of past cases. That is why there is a robust system for considering and managing any conflicts that may arise, in line with the professional obligations of lawyers.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That check will necessarily include consideration of matters in which a Law Officer was instructed before taking up their current role. That process sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict.

This rigorous process for identifying and managing conflicts sits alongside the system relating to ministerial interests, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Both the Director General of the AGO and the Independent Adviser were provided with the Attorney General’s list of conflicts following his appointment.

The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme can deliver justice for the victims of some of the most serious crimes, including murder and rape.

During 2024, my office dealt with requests to review 831 sentences. So far during 2025, we have already exceeded that figure, receiving 846 requests. Of those, 102 cases have been considered by the Court of Appeal, and in 59% of those cases the sentence has been increased.

The ULS scheme continues to be effective by allowing the public to have a voice in the sentencing of offenders, and helping victims of the most abhorrent crimes to receive justice.

The cost of organised crime is pervasive, whether this is impacting our economy or exploiting the vulnerable. This week the government has launched a crackdown on shops on our high streets, as part of Operation Machinize. These shops are fronts for serious organised crime, money laundering and illegal working, risking the future of the British High Street.

Law enforcement work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to dismantle criminal networks across the UK including in Hertfordshire, and relentlessly pursue those who use dirty money for personal gain.

People smuggling is a deplorable transnational crime, and anyone involved in this dangerous trade will face the full force of the law. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill is nearing Royal Assent and will give law enforcement agencies the toughest powers yet to take down criminal smuggling gangs

The Bill will introduce new offences to help tackle offending, such as criminalising the creation of material advertising unlawful immigration services online, the endangerment offence, and the power to seize electronic devices. It will also implement interim Serious Crime Prevention Orders to disrupt and deter organised crime, including people smuggling.

Due to the cross-border nature of these crimes, international collaboration remains essential to disrupt criminal supply chains and networks. This Government is working hard to fix the borders crisis, which is why we agreed a landmark deal with France, where we have returned migrants, as well as increasing international cooperation with Germany and other countries. In line with this, the CPS has increased cooperation with international partners to improve information sharing and evidence gathering for prosecutions.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) received a request in July 2025 made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the guidance listed in the Answer to Question 68480. The GLD’s response to that request, which includes extracts of some of the guidance requested, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f9fca6e200d653d8b636eb/FOI_25_159_Response_07-10-25_Redacted.pdf. The appendices to the response are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gld-policy-foi-releases.

The Attorney General’s Guidance on Legal Risk, published in November 2024, is publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-attorney-generals-guidance-on-legal-risk.

The department has spent £0 on social media advertising in the last 5 financial years. All spend in these areas are subject to standard value for money assessments.

This Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes these cases robustly.

The below table shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS since 2023 for hate crime offences based on (a) race, (b) religion, (c) disability, (d) sexual orientation and (e) transgender identity.

The total number of hate crime flagged defendants prosecuted by the CPS was 12,737 in 2023, 14,657 in 2024, and 7,764 during the period from January to June 2025.

This Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes these cases robustly.

The below table shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS since 2023 for hate crime offences based on (a) race, (b) religion, (c) disability, (d) sexual orientation and (e) transgender identity.

The total number of hate crime flagged defendants prosecuted by the CPS was 12,737 in 2023, 14,657 in 2024, and 7,764 during the period from January to June 2025.

Domestic abuse causes severe and lasting harm to victims. Bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice, whether committed in our cities, towns or rural areas, is a core priority for this Government and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

In collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the CPS launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) to improve the collective response to the investigation and prosecution of domestic abuse cases across England and Wales.

The DA JJP has strengthened joint working with policing – building stronger cases from the outset and increasing access to justice for victims nationally and locally. The work is already showing positive results – referrals volumes from Northumbria Police have increased by nearly 18.4% since the plan was launched, demonstrating that significant progress has been made.

Recognising different local needs, the plan provides strategic direction rather than prescribing local activity. CPS Areas and police forces have worked together to tailor the plan to address local priorities and community needs – including those in rural areas.

A key outcome of the DA JJP is building expertise across both the CPS and policing. To support this, there is a joint knowledge sharing event on ‘Domestic Abuse in Rural Areas’ planned for the new year. This coordinated approach is key to breaking cycles of abuse, securing prosecutions, and ensuring that victims are heard, protected, and supported throughout the justice process.

This Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plays a critical role in achieving this.

Operation Soteria, which concluded in November 2023, was an ambitious joint policing-CPS programme aimed at transforming the investigation and prosecution of adult rape cases.

Operation Soteria informed the launch of the CPS’ National Operating Model for Adult Rape Prosecution (NOM) in July 2023. It sets out a consistent national approach to adult rape prosecutions, built around a suspect-focused, victim-centred, and context-led approach to case building. It includes new processes and guidance materials, bespoke training, and the recruitment of additional prosecutors and operational staff. Every component of the NOM has now been rolled out nationally to the CPS’ specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Units.

Since the NOM’s launch, there have been significant increases in the volume of police referrals, suspects charged, and court receipts for adult rape cases. For example, between Q1 2023/24 (the last quarter before the launch of NOM) and Q1 2025/26 (the CPS' most recent published data), the number of completed prosecutions for adult rape flagged cases has increased by 37%.

However, the CPS recognises the need to maintain momentum and is currently implementing a new Rape Action Plan to ensure every decision in rape cases is robust, every prosecutor is supported, and every victim can have confidence in the justice process.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a strong record of bringing successful prosecutions in terrorism cases and works very closely with Counter Terrorism policing and partners to help build strong cases.

Cases are prosecuted by the specialist CPS Counter Terrorism Division. Recently published Home Office statistics confirmed that in the year ending 30 June 2025, of the 83 persons who were tried for all terrorism-related offences, 80 were convicted (96%).

There are several offences that can be used to prosecute those who promote terrorism, including offences of disseminating terrorist publications, encouraging terrorism, and for the preparation of acts of terrorism or to assist others in preparation of acts of terrorism.

Decisions to prosecute are, rightly, made independently of Government by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Consent was given by my predecessor on 3 April 2024. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage.

Where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as in this case, then the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.

The decision to offer no evidence was a decision made by the CPS, without any political influence, by the Attorney General or me, as the CPS has already confirmed.

Decisions to prosecute are, rightly, made independently of Government by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Consent was given by my predecessor on 3 April 2024. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage.

Where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as in this case, then the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.

The decision to offer no evidence was a decision made by the CPS, without any political influence, by the Attorney General or me, as the CPS has already confirmed.

As the Prime Minister has made clear, the United Kingdom will not withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. To leave would be entirely contrary to this country’s national interest.

We need to work with our friends and partners in Europe to tackle all our major issues from irregular migration to combatting climate change. The solutions to these problems will not be met by isolating ourselves from our allies. But the status quo is not an option, and we are looking at various options to modernise our approach both domestically and internationally to the Convention.

As Chief Legal Advisors to Government, any advice that might be given by the Law Officers would be protected by the Law Officers’ Convention.