Oral Answers to Questions

Ellie Reeves Excerpts

Thursday 13th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[The Solicitor General (Ellie Reeves)]

Since April 2020, the SFO has recovered over £550 million from criminals for the UK taxpayer, but this Government want to go further and are investing millions in expanding the SFO’s capabilities. Under our plan for change, we will crack down on fraud and ensure that crime does not pay.

[Rachel Hopkins]

I welcome the Serious Fraud Office’s first use of an unexplained wealth order to return more than £1 million that had been stolen from the public. How will the Solicitor General support efforts to expand the use of unexplained wealth orders to target those criminals who have defrauded innocent victims?

[The Solicitor General]

On 9 September, the Serious Fraud Office secured £1.1 million from the sale of a Lake district house in an investigation involving its first use of an unexplained wealth order, connected to the assets of the wife of convicted fraudster Timothy Schools. This innovative use of the legislation showcases the SFO’s resolve to pursue criminal assets wherever they are hidden and explore new methods to recover funds for victims and the public purse.

[Steff Aquarone (North Norfolk) (LD)]

One way the Serious Fraud Office can be made more effective is through access to more registers of beneficial overseas interests. We know that fraudsters, tax dodgers and crooks are exploiting the financial secrecy in those territories to hide their ill-gotten gains. Does the Solicitor General agree that this would empower the Serious Fraud Office to secure more prosecutions for economic crime, get dodged taxes back to the Treasury and let us invest more in public services in North Norfolk?

[The Solicitor General]

I am grateful for that question. The Serious Fraud Office is constantly looking at ways to clamp down on fraud and economic crime. For example, the SFO is committed to working more closely with French and Swiss partners through the international anti-corruption prosecutorial taskforce, to ensure that we are robustly tackling cross-border economic crime, and to protect our future prosperity as part of our plan for change.

[John Whitby (Derbyshire Dales) (Lab)]

2. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for rural crime.

[John Milne (Horsham) (LD)]

9. What steps she is taking to help ensure the effective prosecution of rural crime.

[The Solicitor General]

Rural crime can destroy our landscapes, jeopardise businesses and, over time, break down communities. This Government are committed to cracking down on crime and disorder in rural areas, through tougher powers on antisocial behaviour, farm theft, and fly-tipping. The Crown Prosecution Service has appointed a national rural crime lead, and last month it brought together prosecutors from across the country to ensure a co-ordinated approach to prosecution.

[John Whitby]

In Derbyshire we have seen a significant increase in reports of agricultural crime; police figures show a 45% increase in the past 12 months. Earlier this year one of my constituents, Jane Bassett, had her farm broken into and a significant amount of specialised equipment was stolen. Such attacks can be traumatic for victims due to how isolated many farms are, and farms are targets for criminals due to their high-value equipment. What steps are being taken to ensure that those who target our hard-working farmers and their equipment and machinery are successfully prosecuted?

[The Solicitor General]

I am sorry to hear about the terrible experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent, and I recognise the significant impact that the theft of equipment has on farmers, both financially and on their wellbeing. The Government recently announced an £800,000 funding boost for the national rural crime unit and national wildlife crime unit. Those dedicated police units will increase collaboration across police forces, and harness the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups that are involved in farm equipment theft.

[John Milne]

Earlier this year I carried out a survey among farmers in my constituency, who said that they did not bother to report over a third of rural crimes because they felt that not enough happened when they did so. I would not say that nothing has been done, because we now have a specialist rural crime unit across Sussex, but there is an issue with police call centres and staff who do not appear to understand rural issues. Will the Solicitor General look at improving training at call centres in my constituency and across the country?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that important issue. I will certainly pick up the issue of police response with Home Office colleagues. The Government are committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which aims to prevent the theft and resale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting. The National Police Chiefs’ Council wildlife and rural crime strategy provides a framework through which policing and its partners can work together, to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues that predominantly affect rural communities.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Chair of the Justice Committee.

[Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith and Chiswick) (Lab)]

As my right hon. Friend says, these days rural crime is often organised crime. A lot of that is county lines, which by its nature is cross-jurisdictional and involves different parts of the CPS and different police forces. What is she doing to ensure co-ordination to tackle those types of offences, because as far as criminals are concerned, this is a national enterprise?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point about county lines. The CPS has significantly increased its provision of early advice for county lines cases, working with law enforcement to ensure that all cases are as strong as possible. The CPS has prosecution guidance on county lines, which provides an overview of the approach to be taken in criminal investigations and prosecutions, as well as practical advice on decision making in gang-related offences and on building the strongest possible case. The Crime and Policing Bill will introduce two new offences that are relevant in this area: those of child criminal exploitation and cuckooing.

[John Lamont (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) (Con)]

Rural and farm crime is a big problem in my constituency in the Scottish Borders which operates across the border between Scotland and England. What discussions has the Solicitor General had with authorities in Scotland to ensure higher prosecution rates for those operating cross-border?

[The Solicitor General]

I set out some of the measures that this Government are taking to tackle rural crime, but I am happy to take up that issue with the Secretary of State for Scotland to see what more cross-border work can be done.

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

3. What steps she has taken with the Crown Prosecution Service to support victims of crime.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking with the Crown Prosecution Service to support the experience of victims in the criminal justice system.

[The Solicitor General]

This Government place the experience of victims at the very heart of the justice system and are determined to restore their faith in the system. I want to acknowledge the sad passing of Baroness Newlove, who worked tirelessly for victims. Through its victim transformation programme, the CPS is reshaping its service to victims. I recently visited a rape and serious sexual offences—RASSO—unit in the west midlands and heard first hand about the work that victim liaison officers do to offer crucial support. I am pleased that the service is now being piloted to victims of domestic abuse as well.

[Shockat Adam]

A constituent contacted me in a severe state of distress, understandably, because she is a victim of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, her distress is compounded by the fact that her criminal trial date has been postponed not once but twice, while her perpetrator is walking free in her neighbourhood. This is causing her immense anxiety and impacting her mental health. Will the Solicitor General outline what support the justice system can give to my constituent and other victims of severe sexual violence, especially given long court delays, and what steps she will take to ensure that no victim is left to feel abandoned by the system again?

[The Solicitor General]

I am very sorry to hear about the experience of the hon. Gentleman’s constituent, and I am sure our thoughts are with them. This Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with a record and rising Crown court caseload. Next year, we will fund the Crown courts to run at record levels to tackle the outstanding caseload, by funding 110,000 sitting days. The independent review of the criminal courts considered how to improve overall criminal court efficiency to provide swifter justice for victims, including victims of sexual offences. The CPS has introduced victim liaison officers in RASSO units to offer extra support to victims, particularly when they are facing delays to their trials.

[Jas Athwal]

I welcome the Government’s ambitious mission to reduce violence against women and girls. Many survivors who experience sexual assault will never go to the police or press charges due to appallingly low conviction rates and fears of being retraumatised during court proceedings. Given the alarming statistic that one in four women over the age of 16 have been sexually assaulted, what steps are the Government taking to make reporting and pressing charges a more realistic prospect for survivors?

[The Solicitor General]

This Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls, and that is my No. 1 priority as Solicitor General. The barriers that victims of rape and serious sexual violence face in this country are unacceptable, and the CPS is committed to improving its performance. These efforts are beginning to have an impact. Referral volumes for adult rape are on a sustained upward trend, and in the last quarter conviction volumes were at their highest level since 2016.

[Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge) (Con)]

Given that over recent months we have discovered that the whole country has been a victim of crime from foreign espionage, state aggression and any number of different forms of hostile activity, will the Attorney General be kind enough to give a statement explaining how he is actually representing our interests, rather than preaching to us about how the law does not defend us and we just need to take it?

[The Solicitor General]

I answered an urgent question in this House a few weeks ago on the China case, which I expect the right hon. Gentleman is referring to. The Government have already made it clear that they are deeply disappointed in the outcome of that case. As has already been confirmed by the CPS and senior Treasury counsel, the decision to offer no evidence in the case was made by the CPS without political influence, including from me or any other Law Officer. As the Attorney General has outlined in some detail in evidence he gave in a recent Committee hearing, where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as happened in this case, the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

Victims in the criminal justice system deserve to be kept fully informed of developments in their case. Can the Solicitor General set out how she is working with the Crown Prosecution Service to improve those communications for victims? I note again the very valuable work in this space of Baroness Newlove, the former Victims’ Commissioner.

[The Solicitor General]

The issue of support for victims is particularly fresh in my mind, as I visited one of the CPS’s rape and serious sexual offences units in the west midlands just a few weeks ago. I heard at first hand about the important work that victim liaison officers in the CPS are doing to support victims through their experience of the criminal justice system—on which I have pressed the CPS. It is ensuring that its communications with victims are of the highest possible standard—that letters have empathy and are the best that they possibly can be. I will continue to monitor that closely.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

I welcome the Solicitor General to her place. Domestic abuse survivors face serious barriers to accessing legal aid in the family courts. The current legal aid means test takes the abuser’s income into account when assessing a victim’s eligibility, unless the survivor can prove economic abuse, which is extremely difficult, or prove that they no longer live with the abuser. Abusers typically control finances and can withhold documentation, disqualifying victims from receiving the support that they need. Will the Solicitor General consider the recommendation of the Bar Council and make an exemption for domestic abuse survivors from the means test?

[The Solicitor General]

I know the hon. Gentleman is a big champion on this issue. Victims of economic abuse face real challenges in getting justice, and he is right to draw attention to that issue. Legal aid is a matter for the Ministry of Justice, but I will commit to speaking with my ministerial colleagues on this issue and providing the hon. Gentleman with a full written response.

[Peter Prinsley (Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.

[Tristan Osborne (Chatham and Aylesford) (Lab)]

10. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.

[The Solicitor General]

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for this Government and for me. With the Crown Prosecution Service, I am utterly determined to drive improvements in performance across the breadth of VAWG offences. On domestic abuse, the CPS launched its joint justice plan with policing in November 2024. Over the last year, that has led to a 10% increase in charge volumes and a 7% increase in conviction volumes. Before the end of the year, the CPS plans externally to launch its own VAWG strategy, which aims to drive similar improvements across other VAWG offences.

[Peter Prinsley]

In my constituency, I recently visited an inspirational charity called Restore, which provides vital refuge for women fleeing domestic abuse. When I spoke with the dedicated staff there, I was concerned to learn that victims of domestic abuse in rural areas such as parts of my constituency are only half as likely to report their abuse as others. What steps is the CPS taking to ensure that victims in rural communities such as mine are confident to come forward?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank Restore for its excellent work—the organisation has been diligently supporting victims of domestic abuse for decades now. Under the joint justice plan, CPS areas and police forces have worked together to tailor their response to domestic abuse, addressing local priorities and community needs, including those in rural areas. In the new year, police and CPS will hold a joint knowledge-sharing event on domestic abuse in rural areas, to build improved understanding of the barriers these victims often face.

[Joe Morris]

In 2024-25, Northumberland domestic abuse services supported 555 adult survivors of domestic abuse and responded to thousands of domestic abuse incidents. Sadly, many of those incidents involved children. Will the Solicitor General meet me and Sharon Brown from NDAS—who is sat in the Public Gallery—to discuss steps for improving support for victims of domestic abuse in rural areas?

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend’s question provides another example of the enormously important work that organisations such as NDAS do to support survivors of domestic abuse. I welcome Sharon to the Gallery today, and pay tribute to her and her colleagues. I would be delighted to meet her and my hon. Friend to discuss what more can be done to support victims in rural areas, particularly with our CPS colleagues.

[Tristan Osborne]

Prosecutions and convictions for domestic abuse dramatically fell under the last Government, which impacted constituents across all of our areas, including in Chatham and Aylesford. What steps are the Government taking to increase the level of prosecutions and convictions for this heinous crime?

[The Solicitor General]

For several years now, the CPS has maintained a high and steady charge rate of around 80%, and a conviction rate of 75%. This Government are taking radical action to ensure that more cases come into the system and progress through it. We have introduced Raneem’s law, which embeds domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms, and have launched domestic abuse protection orders, which go further than any other order to protect victims.

[Sir Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) (Con)]

Will the Solicitor General discuss with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Secretary how best the Metropolitan police may be encouraged to expedite their inquiry into the crimes of those who aided and abetted Mohamed Fayed, so that—for the sake of those who suffered violence and rape at this hands—they can be brought to book?

[The Solicitor General]

The right hon. Gentleman raises a really serious and important case; I am sure the thoughts of the House are with the victims. As he is aware, I cannot speak to cases in which there are live criminal investigations, but I am grateful to him for raising this extremely important issue, which I and other ministerial colleagues are following closely.

[Jess Brown-Fuller (Chichester) (LD)]

Prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls are harmed by the requirement that the police provide the CPS with redacted evidence under the general data protection regulation. Given the wider delays already affecting our justice system, does the Solicitor General agree that it would be prudent to remove the GDPR-related redaction burden from the police, thereby improving the efficiency of the CPS’s work and reducing the unnecessary workload on policing?

[The Solicitor General]

That is certainly something that I would be very happy to discuss with CPS colleagues and to provide a full response on.

[Mr Will Forster (Woking) (LD)]

Today has seen the publication of the safeguarding review into the murder of my 10-year-old constituent Sara Sharif. The findings of that inquiry are what I feared—that the state, especially Surrey county council, could have protected her and saved her life, but did not. Will the Solicitor General please meet me to ensure we can urgently implement the 15 recommendations of that report in order to protect children and girls in future?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Member for raising a—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Can I just say to the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) that the question was being answered, and as a senior Member, he should know better than walking in at that point?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Member for Woking (Mr Forster) for raising an extremely serious and tragic case. It is important that it has been raised in the House. I will certainly look at those recommendations closely and ensure that he gets a meeting with me or the relevant Minister.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Solicitor General.

[Helen Grant (Maidstone and Malling) (Con)]

I also welcome the right hon. Lady to her place. She is the third Solicitor General I have sat opposite in the past 12 months, and I look forward to working with her constructively where we can and to having healthy debate in this Chamber in the weeks and months to come.

I associate myself with the right hon. Lady’s remarks on the sad passing of Baroness Newlove. I had the honour of working with her when I was the Victims Minister. She was a great champion of victims and she will be sadly missed.

Violence against women and girls is a scourge. It wrecks families and ruins lives. One of the most sickening aspects of it is cruelty to and abuse of children. There is currently no national mechanism to track down and monitor serious child cruelty offenders after service of their sentences. The Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Jake Richards), said this of the Sentencing Bill on Report:

“A problem in the system has been identified, and we are determined to fix it. It simply cannot be right that some horrific child abusers can have access to children—to live with children or work with children—at the end of their sentences without any system of monitoring or notification”.—[Official Report, 29 October 2025; Vol. 774, c. 409.]

The Minister went on to welcome the offer of cross-party talks and promised to work “at speed” to establish a child cruelty register. Can the Solicitor General please update the House on what concrete steps have been taken since then?

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Member for raising the extremely important issue of child abuse. I will work with the Minister to respond to her in full on the points that she raises today.

[Helen Grant]

The campaign to introduce a child cruelty register has been led tirelessly by Paula Hudgell, the adoptive mother of 11-year-old Tony Hudgell. Sadly, Paula has now been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tony was just 41 days old when his birth parents abused him so badly that he had to have both his legs amputated. Tony will live with the consequences of those injuries for the rest of his life. Will the Solicitor General agree to work, and at speed, with her colleagues in the Ministry of Justice? They seem keen to support Paula’s campaign, hopefully with an amendment to the Sentencing Bill in the House of Lords. We must take this opportunity to close this dangerous safeguarding gap so that all our children and families can be protected from repeat abusers.

[The Solicitor General]

I thank the hon. Member for raising the tragic case of Tony Hudgell. I know that his parents, along with the right hon. Member for Tonbridge (Tom Tugendhat), who is no longer in his place, have campaigned tirelessly for Tony and his family. I am very sorry to hear about Paula’s diagnosis, and I am sure that the thoughts of the House are with her and the family. I will take this matter away and do everything I can, along with Home Office and Justice Ministers, and we will respond in full to the points raised by the hon. Lady.