The Minister of State, Home Department
Labour MP for Croydon West
@sarahjonesmp.bsky.social @LabourSJ Facebook UK Parliament Profile
Recent attacks on our Jewish communities are completely unacceptable. An attack on our Jewish community is an attack on us all, and we must take the safety of our Jewish community very seriously. Jewish people must feel safe and Government will strain every sinew to ensure that is the case. The rise in antisemitism is a scourge on our society. In the year to March 2025, there were 2,873...
Today the Government publishes Modernising the Criminal Disclosure Regime, setting out our response to recommendations made by the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences and the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts on the operation of the criminal disclosure regime. We are grateful to Jonathan Fisher KC for his thorough Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences...
May I associate myself and my colleagues with your remarks about Ann Widdecombe, Mr Speaker? Ann was a Minister when I was doing my politics A-level, and she has been a firm part of our political life for the past three decades. May she rest in peace. We are rolling out domestic abuse protection orders across England and Wales, and have trebled the number of forces with domestic abuse...
I thank my hon. Friend for raising such an important issue, and the answer, of course, is yes. We are funding research with all police forces to better capture information and inform our response. The Law Commission is reviewing homicide law, including the use of manslaughter offences where abuse may have driven someone to suicide. The former Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for...
My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. Too many victims, including men, do not feel able to report domestic abuse, and we must change that. We recognise that male victims face additional barriers, and that has been set out in a dedicated explanatory note alongside the VAWG strategy. The Home Office funds the Men’s Advice Line to help male victims access support.
The hon. Lady is right to raise that issue, and we are working hard on it. As she knows, a huge amount of work is going on with the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which has just been passed, and the violence against women and girls strategy. We will continue to do everything we can.
The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of court delays. We have a whole strategy, led through the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that we speed up those court cases. He is right to highlight the particular impact for abuse cases. We are ramping up the support that we give to victims and making sure that we are helping people and trying to give them information about what is happening,...
The figure in the question represents the maximum number of animals expected to be used under licences granted in early 2026 for up to five years for the purpose of benefiting humans, animals or the environment. Animal use may only be authorised where no suitable alternative exists. The Government remain committed to accelerating the replacement of animals in science wherever possible.
The engagement standards and refreshed guidance will be published on gov.uk. It will apply to Ministerial departments in England but will be shared with frontline partners.
Last year, the Government consulted on a package of legislative measures to tackle ransomware, including the introduction of mandatory reporting requirements. The consultation demonstrated strong support for greater transparency, with 63% of respondents backing an economy-wide reporting regime covering both ransomware incidents and ransom payments. The proposed measures are intended to strike...
In January 2026, the Home Office published the Police Reform White Paper, setting out the most significant reforms to policing in nearly 200 years. These reforms are designed to ensure policing can respond effectively to evolving crime threats and the challenges facing communities today. A key element of the reforms is the introduction of a stronger local policing tier through the creation of...
The Home Office has not made estimates as to how many closure orders are expected each year, nor the number of police officers and local authority staff required to administer them and their related costs. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers, including the closure order, that...
The Home Office is currently consulting on increasing the duration of closure orders to strengthen the response to high street illegality. The proliferation of illicit businesses is undercutting legitimate businesses and in some cases, forcing them off the high street due to their inability to compete. As part of the consultation, the Home Office is seeking views from a wide range of...
The Home Office regulates the use of animals in science under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). Under ASPA, all project licence applications must comply with the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs), which set out that animals may only be used when no validated non-animal alternative exists, the number of animals is minimised, and any potential...
CCTV is a long-established and widely used tool across England and Wales, operated by a range of public and private bodies to support crime prevention, public safety and investigations. The Surveillance Camera Commissioner (SCC) is responsible for encouraging compliance with the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice. The Code provides guidance on the responsible use of surveillance camera...
The Government recognises the important role that body-worn video can play in supporting effective, transparent and accountable policing. College of Policing and National Police Chief’s Council guidance supports the use of body-worn video during police encounters, including stop and search. Operational decisions on its deployment remain a matter for Chief Constables. The College of...
