Oral Answers to Questions

Alistair Strathern Excerpts

Tuesday 19th May 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jake Richards]

I thank the hon. Member for that important question; he is right to raise the matter. Indeed, he raised a similar theme in the Commons just yesterday. Lord Timpson has a particular focus on female offenders and women inmates in prison, and he will make an announcement in due course.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

12. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support men and boys through the criminal justice system.

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

14. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support men and boys through the criminal justice system.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr David Lammy)]

The Prime Minister asked me to lead work across Government to improve outcomes for boys and men. That includes a specific focus on convening and co-ordinating the brilliant work being done across Departments, including on health and wellbeing, education and employment, and masculinities and connection. Furthermore, yesterday we set out a plan for youth justice reform, which was the first in many years.

[Alistair Strathern]

The Anti-Slavery Commissioner recently called out the targeted online grooming of young men by county lines gangs. That is far from being an isolated case of such targeting. Young men growing up in Britain today are all too often targeted by those in the worst corners of the internet—from those in the manosphere to predatory gambling companies to get-rich-quick schemes. However, while Ofcom rightly has guidance for platforms about how to better protect women and girls from the specific harms that they can be exposed to, no such parallel guidance exists for young men and boys growing up in Britain. We are all worse off as a result. We recently convened over 60 MPs to write to Ofcom to urge it to put that right. Will the Deputy Prime Minister join us today in calling on Ofcom to step up? It is in its gift to do so. Let us get this done.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I think the Secretary of State knows what the question is.