The Home Office has launched a statutory independent inquiry into grooming gangs. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood, has appointed Baroness Anne Longfield CBE to chair a three-year investigation into systemic failures that enabled child sexual exploitation across multiple regions. The inquiry panel, supported by Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE, has full powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to compel evidence, investigate institutional failures and recommend reforms. The inquiry will examine how taxi licensing loopholes contributed to abuse, following findings in Baroness Louise Casey’s national audit. A key focus will be Chapter 7 of the audit, which identified taxi licensing as a significant safeguarding vulnerability. The audit found that inconsistent licensing standards across councils allowed perpetrators to obtain licences in areas with weaker controls and operate elsewhere, undermining local protections. The inquiry will also undertake local investigations in areas, such as Oldham, focusing on suspected cover-ups or negligence.

The Home Office has published terms of reference for part two of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences which focuses on the challenges posed by fraud offences. It marks the first independent review of fraud legislation in the UK since 1986 and will examine six areas in a fraud case including reporting, investigation, prosecution, courts, penalties and rehabilitation. Following the publication of the report for part one of the review on digital disclosure in March 2025, this second phase aims to address challenges in prosecuting fraud, which now constitutes 40% of surveyed offences. The review will conclude in December 2025 with recommendations for modernising fraud prosecution amid rising digital crime rates, where losses reached £2.2bn in the year to November 2024.

The Home Office has announced the launch of the Windrush Compensation Advocacy Support Fund (WCASF), a £1.5m initiative to provide dedicated advocacy support for Windrush scandal compensation claimants over three years. The fund will enable community organisations to assist applicants throughout the compensation process. Organisations can apply for funding through the Find and Apply Grant portal until 9 May 2025, with information sessions scheduled for 14-15 April 2025. The government expects to appoint a Windrush Commissioner by summer 2025 to represent victims' interests at senior government levels.

The Home Office has laid eight new and updated draft codes of practice under the Investigatory Powers Act before Parliament. The codes cover bulk personal datasets, equipment interference, communications data, intelligence services' data usage, interception of communications, notices regime and bulk data acquisition. These comprehensive updates to investigatory powers regulations will come into force following completion of the parliamentary process. The codes provide detailed guidance across 49-178 pages on various aspects of investigative capabilities and data handling.

The Home Office has issued an updated draft Code of Practice, which has been laid before Parliament pursuant to section 13(5)(c) of the UK Borders Act 2007. The Code of Practice governs the implementation and enforcement of Biometric Immigration Document (BID) requirements under the UK Borders Act 2007. This Code updates the one issued in 2015 and reflects the transition from physical to digital documents in the form of an eVisa. Key changes include mandatory facial image updates every ten years for adults under 70 (five years for under-16s), the introduction of share codes for status verification, and a comprehensive sanctions framework for non-compliance. For those who fail to update their facial image, the normal sanction will be preventing the person from creating a ‘share code’ necessary to share their status with a third-party checker. The Code establishes a structured approach to enforcement, with civil penalties up to £1000, while incorporating specific protections for vulnerable individuals and children and a system of prior notification. It details the processes for objections and appeals through civil courts, and emphasises the provision of support services for those with limited digital access or skills.

The Home Office is consulting on removing the power to exclude certain members of the Police Pension Scheme 2015 in England and Wales from ill-health benefits because of a pre-existing medical condition. The proposed changes would apply prospectively, with the position of members affected by previous exclusions to be considered separately. Responses to the consultation must be submitted by 17 September 2026.

The Home Office has confirmed John Tuckett as the preferred candidate for the role of Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI). Mr Tuckett, currently serving as Immigration Services Commissioner since 2019, has leadership experience from across the public sector including defence, healthcare, and government services.  A pre-appointment scrutiny by the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) will take place prior to the final decision. If appointed, Mr Tuckett will succeed David Bolt, who has been serving as interim ICIBI since June 2024. Following a pre-appointment hearing, HASC will publish their recommendations, which the government will consider before deciding whether to finalise the appointment.

The Home Office has opened a call for evidence on economic crime information sharing gateways, seeking views on how data is currently shared to detect, prevent, investigate and disrupt such crime in the UK. The call focuses on identifying legal, operational and cultural barriers to effective information sharing, as well as opportunities to strengthen the system through reform. Its scope encompasses information sharing relating to fraud, money laundering, corruption and asset recovery, including information sharing relations to underlying offences connected to money laundering. The call covers four key areas: private–private, private–public, public–public and cross-border information sharing. Responses will inform the development of a public-private Data Strategy and other Economic Crime Plan 2 initiatives. The call for evidence closes on 18 May 2026.

The Home Office has launched an open consultation on proposed amendments to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (England) Order 2006. The consultation aims to address the pension rights of retained firefighters who were employed between 7 April 2000 and 5 April 2006. Key proposals include extending eligibility for additional death grant payments, allowing conversion of standard service to special service in the modified scheme, and providing flexibility for missed pension payments. The consultation also proposes extending the closure deadline of the 2023 Options exercise by 12 months to 31 March 2026. The consultation closes on 17 February 2025.

The Home Office has opened a consultation on eight new and updated codes of practice, and a set of notices regulations following changes made by the Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Act 2024 (IP(A)A 2024). The consultation seeks views on three new codes on bulk personal datasets with a low or no expectation of privacy (part 7A), third party bulk personal datasets (part 7B) and notices regime. It also seeks views on five existing codes on bulk personal dataset (part 7), communications data, bulk communications data, equipment interference and interception. Lastly, it seeks views on a set of draft notices regulations, which specify what types of changes may be included in the new notification notices; introduce timelines for the review of technical capability, data retention, and national security notices; and amend existing regulations in relation to notice processes with regards to membership of the technical advisory board. The consultation closes at 11:59 pm on 6 January 2025.

The Home Office has launched a call for evidence seeking input on reforms to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK's system for identifying victims of modern slavery. The consultation aims to gather evidence across three areas: definitions of modern slavery victims, initial identification procedures, and formal identification processes. The evidence gathered will inform longer-term reforms to create what the Home Office describes as a more effective identification system. The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 8 October 2025.

The Home Office has launched a consultation on new legislative proposals aimed at tackling the growing threat of ransomware attacks in the UK. The consultation, which closes on 8 April 2025, outlines three key objectives which include reducing the flow of money to ransomware criminals, enhancing the ability of operational agencies to disrupt and investigate ransomware actors and improving the government's understanding of cybersecurity threats. The proposed measures include expanding the ban on ransomware payments to all public sector bodies and critical national infrastructure, implementing a payment prevention regime and introducing mandatory reporting of ransomware incidents. These proposals seek to protect UK businesses, infrastructure and public services from the devastating impacts of cybercrime, which is estimated to cost the UK economy billions of pounds annually.