Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to review sentencing guidelines for extreme misogyny.

This Government has made a clear commitment to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. We will use every tool within our power to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence. We will also work with key partners and organisations that support victims of these crimes.

Sentencing guidelines are developed and reviewed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. The guidelines produced provide the Court with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. They set out different levels of sentence based on the harm caused and how culpable the offender is. As an independent body, the Council decides its own work plan and priorities.

The Government has launched an independent Sentencing Review, chaired by David Gauke. The review has been asked to specifically examine the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.