The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced that the Sentencing Council will require explicit approval from both the Justice Secretary and Lady Chief Justice before issuing new guidelines. The change, introduced through the Sentencing Bill in the House of Commons, follows a disagreement between the Justice Secretary and Council earlier in 2025. The legislation requires Justice Secretary approval of the Council's annual business plan, while maintaining judicial independence in individual sentencing decisions.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has introduced legislation modifying the Early Removal Scheme for foreign prisoners. The changes reduce the minimum custody period before deportation eligibility from 50% to 30% of sentence length and extend the removal window from 18 to 48 months. When combined with planned sentencing reforms, some prisoners could be eligible for deportation after serving 10% of their sentence. The scheme excludes terrorism-related offences and remains discretionary. Implementation is expected in September 2025, subject to Parliamentary approval. The MoJ estimates the changes will free 500 prison places annually at £54,000 per place.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has tabled an amendment to the Data (Use and Access) Bill, introducing a new offence targeting the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes without consent. The offence applies to 'purported sexual images', including those depicting nudity or sexual acts and carries an unlimited fine. This measure builds upon existing legislation prohibiting the sharing of intimate images without consent and complements the government's commitment to create new offences for taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment for such purposes. The amendment aims to swiftly implement the law, addressing technological developments and providing enhanced protection for victims. Additionally, as of September 2024, sharing intimate image offences have been designated as priority offences under the Online Safety Act 2023, placing responsibility on platforms to identify and remove such content.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prison and Probation Service have issued a policy framework setting out how to manage offenders and children in custody in line with the Equality Act 2010, ensuring that they meet their obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). These include working to prevent and address discrimination on the grounds of the nine protected characteristics, promoting diversity and inclusion and investigating cases of discrimination when they arise.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched an independent sentencing review, which will be chaired by the former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke, to ensure that the country always has the space required to keep dangerous criminals behind bars and that the government is not forced to rely on the emergency release of prisoners. To work towards this, the review will be guided by three principles—firstly, sentences must punish offenders and protect the public; secondly, sentences must help reduce reoffending; thirdly, punishment outside of prison must be expanded. The review should submit its findings in full to the Lord Chancellor by Spring 2025.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a call for evidence to support its post-implementation review of the whiplash reform programme. This call seeks feedback on the programme’s impact and effectiveness, including its influence on claimant choice, the fairness of compensation for whiplash injuries, and trends in the number and cost of such claims. The review will examine measures introduced under Part 1 of the Civil Liability Act 2018—including the statutory definition of a whiplash injury, the fixed tariff of damages for injuries lasting up to two years and the ban on seeking or offering to settle claims without medical evidence. The call for evidence closes on 22 December 2025.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a 12-week call for evidence to examine the role of computer evidence in the criminal justice system. This consultation, prompted by the Post Office Horizon scandal, aims to address the current presumption that computer-generated evidence is accurate unless proven otherwise. The review seeks expert input on defining computer evidence and consideration about what type of evidence might fall within scope of any change to the law. The consultation considers distinguishing between general digital evidence (ie text messages) and computer-generated evidence, with the goal of preventing future miscarriages of justice and restoring public confidence in the criminal justice system. The consultation closes on 15 April 2025.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a consultation seeking views on proposed draft amendments to the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) Part 74 and PD74A. The MoJ has launched the consultation following the CPR Committee’s consideration of the implementing framework to facilitate the operation of the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 and Hague Choice of Court Agreements Convention 2005. The deadline for responses is 13 March 2024.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is consulting on the implementation of the Singapore Convention on Mediation, following the UK’s signing of the Convention on 3 May 2023. The consultation seeks views on proposals for how the Convention, which requires states to recognise and enforce international commercial settlement agreements resulting from mediation, should operate in the UK prior to ratification. The government proposes to implement the Convention through UK-wide regulations under the Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Act 2020, with the consent of devolved administrations, supported by amendments to court rules in each jurisdiction.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to legal aid fee schemes for inquests in England and Wales. The consultation seeks views on proposals to amend the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013, SI 2013/422 to support planned changes under the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, also known as the Hillsborough Law. The proposals include introducing a single fee scheme for legal help work conducted for inquests and bringing together fee rates for non-advocacy legal help services and advocacy within other legal services for family members receiving legally aided advocacy. The MoJ states that the changes are intended to simplify the legal aid process for inquests, reduce bureaucracy for providers and the Legal Aid Agency, and support bereaved families’ access to legal aid where a public authority is an interested person. The consultation closes on 19 June 2026.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has commissioned Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an independent review of the criminal courts in England and Wales. The review, announced on 12 December 2024, aims to address the significant increase in Crown Court caseloads and improve overall efficiency in the criminal justice system. Sir Leveson will examine long-term reform options, including potential reclassification of offences, changes to magistrates' sentencing powers and the introduction of an Intermediate Court. The review will also assess the efficiency of processes from charge to conviction/acquittal, considering the impact of partner agencies and exploring the use of new technologies. Recommendations for long-term reform are expected by late Spring 2025, with findings on court efficiency to follow in Autumn 2025. This comprehensive review seeks to enhance the timeliness and proportionality of case management without compromising the fairness of proceedings for all parties involved.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Courts & Tribunals Service has launched a new £1m marketing campaign to recruit 4,000 magistrates to help tackle the backlog of criminal cases caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. According to the MoJ, this campaign marks the largest recruitment effort in the 650-year history of the magistracy. Magistrates are expected to dedicate a minimum of 13 days a year service on a voluntary basis.