Crime and Policing Bill

Baroness Berger Excerpts

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berger (Lab)]

My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Baronesses, Lady Bertin, Lady Kidron, Lady Benjamin, Lady Kennedy, Lady Boycott and Lady Shawcross-Wolfson, the noble Viscount, Lord Colville, and the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Butler-Sloss, all of whom who have made significant contributions. I do not wish to reiterate what has been said too much, but I want to speak today in support of Amendments 290, 291, 292, 298 and 314 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Bertin, concerning sexualising children, pornography that mimics abuse and nudification. I put on record my thanks to the noble Baroness for her important and vital work in this area, and recognise the toll it must have taken.

The consumption of violent pornography is having a devastating effect on adults and on the children being exposed to it. We have heard the research from the Children’s Commissioner that indicates the average age at which children in the UK first see pornography to be around 13, but a substantial minority are encountering it significantly earlier, including in our primary schools. I should declare an interest: I have two primary-aged children. I have a daughter who is eight and a son who is six, and I am terrified at the prospect of either of them being exposed to this type of material. We know that this material is having an adverse effect on the physical, sexual and mental health of hundreds of thousands of people in our country. I want to touch on a couple of particularly concerning areas: pornography that mimics abuse and nudification.

We know that, for too long, companies hosting pornographic content have been allowed to host whatever material they like online, regardless of its harm. I echo some of the comments that have been made; it is extraordinary that we have a situation where it is not allowed offline, but it is allowed online and anyone can reach it from the phone that they hold in their pocket.

Amendment 290 would make it an offence to glorify or advocate for child sexual abuse. I do not know how anyone can question the aims of that amendment; it is critical. We heard about this on the previous day in Committee. It is both repulsive and shameful, but it is worth reiterating, that the UK is the third-largest consumer of child sexual abuse videos that are streamed from the Philippines. We rightly have laws on hate speech in this country. We must equally have laws that deal with this type of heinous advocation of child sexual abuse. This is not something over there; it is happening every single day in our country, and we have to take responsibility for it.