The Solicitor-General
Labour MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising this urgent question, following the deeply disappointing collapse of the prosecution case concerning two individuals charged under the Official Secrets Act 1911. It is a bedrock constitutional principle that prosecutions in this country are free from political influence. This means that it is prosecutors, not politicians, who decide which cases to...
Today we have heard from the shadow Justice Secretary yet more of the baseless smears that have characterised the Conservative party’s approach to a matter of such importance to this House and the whole nation. He knows that the Attorney General will give evidence next week—as soon as Tuesday—to the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. Like me, the shadow Justice Secretary...
The charges in this case were brought under the Official Secrets Act 1911—outdated legislation, drawn up even before the dawn of world war one. As I said, the Attorney General, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, the deputy National Security Adviser, the Cabinet Secretary and the Director of Public Prosecutions will all appear before the Joint Committee on the National Security...
I agree with my hon. Friend’s position. I remind the House that the test in this case applied to how China was viewed under the previous Government, not this one.
As I set out in my answer to the urgent question, the previous Law Officers gave consent to prosecute in April 2024. After that happens, it is right that there is no further involvement of Law Officers in cases. In accordance with the framework, that is how things work. It is right that politicians do not interfere with prosecutions in criminal cases, and that is what happened in this case...
In terms of the witness statements, to start with the first and by far most substantive witness statement was the one made under the previous Government. In relation to more recent statements, the Conservatives’ starting argument was that the Government in some way interfered with the evidence, and now they seem to be criticising the fact that we did not interfere with the evidence. It is...
The Attorney General will be giving his evidence to the Committee next week. I think it is right to say that the case was dropped by the CPS not on public interest grounds but on evidential grounds. When a case is dropped on evidential grounds, the framework sets out that the Law Officers be informed when that has happened, and not that there is consultation beforehand. This is a case that...
This case was prosecuted under legislation that was in force when the alleged offences were committed in 2021 to 2023. The law has now changed—it took the Conservative party many years to tighten up national security legislation; it passed with support from Labour Members—and under the legislation as it stands now, it is easier to bring prosecutions of this nature because the enemy test...
The Government Legal Department (GLD) received a request in July 2025 made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the guidance listed in the Answer to Question 68480. The GLD’s response to that request, which includes extracts of some of the guidance requested, is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f9fca6e200d...
This Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes these cases robustly. The below table shows the number of defendants prosecuted by the CPS since 2023 for hate crime offences based on (a) race, (b) religion, (c) disability, (d) sexual orientation and (e) transgender identity. 2023 2024 2025 (January - June) Racist...
The department has spent £0 on social media advertising in the last 5 financial years. All spend in these areas are subject to standard value for money assessments.
Domestic abuse causes severe and lasting harm to victims. Bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice, whether committed in our cities, towns or rural areas, is a core priority for this Government and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the CPS launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) to improve the collective...
This Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plays a critical role in achieving this. Operation Soteria, which concluded in November 2023, was an ambitious joint policing-CPS programme aimed at transforming the investigation and prosecution of adult rape cases. Operation Soteria informed the launch of the...
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a strong record of bringing successful prosecutions in terrorism cases and works very closely with Counter Terrorism policing and partners to help build strong cases. Cases are prosecuted by the specialist CPS Counter Terrorism Division. Recently published Home Office statistics confirmed that in the year ending 30 June 2025, of the 83 persons who...
Decisions to prosecute are, rightly, made independently of Government by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Consent was given by my predecessor on 3 April 2024. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage. Where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as in this case, then the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the...
As the Prime Minister has made clear, the United Kingdom will not withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. To leave would be entirely contrary to this country’s national interest. We need to work with our friends and partners in Europe to tackle all our major issues from irregular migration to combatting climate change. The solutions to these problems will not be met by...
