Tougher Domestic Murder Sentences
England and Wales: Domestic murder minimum sentence increases to 25 years after campaign.
Killers who murder their current or ex-partner in England and Wales will face a minimum 25 years in prison — up from 15 — under a major sentencing overhaul announced by Justice Secretary David Lammy on June 29, 2026. The change closes what campaigners called a "misogynistic loophole" that gave domestic killers a decade less prison time than other murderers. The Guardian reported the reform follows a seven-year campaign by mothers of victims who argued the law placed less value on women's lives.
"For centuries, the law failed to protect women from violence at the hands of their partner," Lammy said. "This change closes a long overdue gap." The move is central to the government's pledge to halve violence against women and girls, according to Yahoo News.
The Loophole That Discounted Women's Lives for Decades
Under the old rules, a killer who brought a weapon — such as a knife — to a murder scene faced a 25-year minimum sentence. But domestic murders were different. Because weapons like kitchen knives are already in the home, these cases were treated as less severe. Most got a 15-year starting point. Metro described this as a legal loophole allowing domestic murderers to receive significantly less time behind bars than other killers.
A 2023 independent review by Clare Wade KC found that extreme violence — called "overkill" — occurred in 60% of domestic homicides, yet sentencing rarely reflected that brutality. The Wade Review also found that 90% of intimate partner murder victims are women. The Guardian noted the review became the foundation for today's reform.
Seven-Year Campaign by Two Grieving Mothers Pays Off
Julie Devey's daughter Poppy Devey-Waterhouse, 24, was killed by her ex-boyfriend in December 2018. He received a 16-year minimum term. Carole Gould's daughter Ellie, 17, was stabbed by her ex-boyfriend in May 2019. He received just 12.5 years. Both mothers launched the "Killed Women" network in 2020 to fight for equal sentencing, according to Metro.
After nearly a decade of campaigning, the two women welcomed Lammy's announcement. "At last, women's lives are being valued as highly as men's," they said, as reported by The Guardian. The pair had previously helped install "Black and Blue Plaques" across the UK in September 2024 to highlight the sentencing gap to the public.
Key Safeguard Kept for Abuse Victims Who Kill Their Abusers
The new 25-year minimum will not apply to every domestic killing. The government kept the old 15-year starting point for cases where a victim of long-term domestic abuse kills their abuser. Yahoo News reported this protection was deliberately preserved to recognize that abuse victims who reach a breaking point are in a very different legal and moral position than controlling killers.
The Ministry of Justice estimates the change will cost roughly £53.5 million in the long term. Because sentences are longer, the full impact on prison numbers won't be felt until around 2062, when officials expect to need around 42 additional high-security prison places. England and Wales already face a Crown Court backlog of 80,000 cases, which Lammy is also working to clear, according to The Standard.
Critics Call the Reform Overdue but Question Broader Justice Strategy
Domestic abuse charities like Refuge and Women's Aid welcomed the move but called it "piecemeal." They argue that longer sentences alone do not stop domestic abuse before it turns deadly. Criminologists add that domestic killers are rarely deterred by sentence length — most are not career criminals but individuals trapped in abusive cycles, according to research cited by the Prison Reform Trust.
Political opponents have focused on a different contradiction. The Conservatives and Reform UK have pointed to the government's separate early release of thousands of prisoners due to lack of cell space, calling the reform "tough on some, soft on many," as The Standard reported. Domestic Abuse Commissioner Dame Nicole Jacobs also warned that prison overcrowding could undermine victim safety even as sentences rise.
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