On 30 June, the government set out plans to increase the sentencing starting point for murders committed by a partner or former partner. Under the proposal, offenders in these cases could face a baseline 10 years higher than at present, closing what ministers describe as a longstanding disparity in homicide sentencing. The measure is being presented as part of the government's wider pledge to halve violence against women and girls and to deliver swifter justice for victims and families. In policy terms, the change would align domestic murders with the treatment already used in cases where an offender brings a weapon to the scene with intent.
According to the Ministry of Justice, most domestic murders currently have a 15-year starting point because they often take place in the home and involve a weapon already at the scene. By contrast, other murders where a weapon is taken to the location with intent begin from 25 years. That distinction has meant that killings by partners or ex-partners can start from a lower sentencing baseline even where the seriousness is comparable. The proposed reform is intended to remove that 10-year gap, regardless of whether the murder takes place in the home or elsewhere.
The government statement describes domestic homicide as one of the most devastating forms of violent crime, often occurring after a period of abuse and trauma. It also says that more than a fifth of all murders are domestic, with women overwhelmingly the victims in those cases. For readers outside the justice system, the point at issue is the starting point used when sentence is set. Raising that baseline changes the legal framework from which courts begin in partner and ex-partner murder cases and signals that these offences should be treated with the same seriousness as comparable non-domestic murders.
David Lammy said the reform is intended to correct a gap that has left domestic killings treated less severely than some other murders. In the government statement, he linked the measure to a longer history in which the law did not protect women adequately from violence by intimate partners. He also paid tribute to campaigners Carole Gould, Julie Devey and Elaine Newborough, whose work ministers say helped bring about the change. Their role is politically significant because the measure is being framed not only as a sentencing amendment, but as a response to sustained pressure from families who argued that the present structure understates the harm caused by these offences.
The announcement also includes an important safeguard for victims of domestic abuse who kill their abuser. In those cases, the existing 15-year baseline would remain in place rather than the higher starting point proposed for partner and ex-partner murders. That exception matters to the design of the policy. It shows that ministers are seeking to raise the penalty framework for domestic killings committed by abusers without treating every domestic homicide as if it arises from the same facts.
Further steps are still required before the change takes effect. The government said the proposal is subject to consultation with the Sentencing Council and that the measure will be introduced as soon as possible. The statement also makes clear that the higher starting point will apply only to future murders committed after the implementation date. It will not be retrospective, and ministers said further detail, including how the policy will apply in cases involving children who kill, will be set out later.
The timetable sits alongside the Law Commission's wider review of homicide law and sentencing, which is not due to conclude until 2028. The government's position is that this disparity should be addressed now rather than left unresolved until the end of that broader review. Ministers also argue that the change has been made possible by recent action to stabilise the prison system and by the Sentencing Act, which they say protects the ability to keep the most dangerous offenders in custody. Until the new starting point is implemented, however, courts will continue to sentence domestic murders under the current rules.