The Reform Party has announced a hardline new justice policy, pledging to lock up child rapists for the rest of their lives with no possibility of parole if it wins the next general election.
A 'Whole Life' Crackdown on Child Sexual Abuse
Under the proposed law, any adult convicted of raping a child would face a mandatory whole life sentence. This would apply to an estimated 500 offenders each year. The party has vowed to create the necessary new prison places, partly by deporting foreign national criminals already incarcerated in the UK.
Reform argues that urgent action is required because there are currently no minimum sentences for child sexual abuse or exploitation. This has led, the party claims, to some judges imposing 'ludicrously light' terms. At present, most offenders become eligible for parole after serving just two-thirds of their sentence.
Closing Loopholes for Historical Offences
In a significant move, the party wants its tough sentencing regime to apply to historical crimes. This would specifically target members of grooming gangs, even though criminals are typically sentenced according to the law in force at the time of their offence.
The policy follows revelations last year that one member of a grooming gang, convicted of raping a vulnerable teenage girl in the 1990s, received a jail term of only four and a half years. Reform also criticises the existing, often lengthy process for appealing unduly lenient sentences, noting that Attorney General Lord Hermer has in some cases refused to review terms given to grooming gangs.
Political Condemnation and Broader Law & Order Pledges
Zia Yusuf, the party's Head of Policy, launched a scathing attack on both the Conservatives and Labour. 'For too long, Conservative and Labour governments have failed to protect our children,' he said. 'It is a stain on our national conscience that grooming gangs were allowed to operate for years with impunity.'
He highlighted that under recent Conservative governments, the average sentence for raping a child under 13 fell to around nine years, with some grooming gang members receiving as little as six years. He also accused Labour of overseeing the early release of violent offenders.
This sentencing pledge is part of a wider focus on law and order for Reform. The policy emerges after Nigel Farage vowed to make tackling crime in London a central theme of the party's campaign for the capital's May local elections. Last year, he promised to halve crime within five years if he becomes Prime Minister, through measures including:
- Recruiting 30,000 additional police officers.
- Creating more prison capacity.
- Deporting foreign national offenders.
To inform this agenda, Farage has hired former detective Colin Sutton, who caught some of Britain's most notorious rapists and murderers, as his Police and Crime Advisor. Sutton's proposals include issuing every frontline officer with a Taser and reopening 300 closed police stations.
