Suella Braverman is set to bring in a ban on sex offenders being able to change their name or gender in an attempt to tighten up the rules around the sex offences register.
The home secretary is expected to use her Tory conference speech in Manchester to promise new legislation to close a loophole allowing predators to avoid detection.
Registered sex offenders who change their name are supposed to notify the local police force within three days – but have been able to use a loophole to evade the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Details keep by agencies such as HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Passport Office and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency will now be shared with the DBS. And legislation will make sure any sex offender who changes their personal details or gender will face prosecution.
Labour MP Sarah Champion said she was “relieved” at the government’s plans to adopt a change in law which she has demanded for three years. “It is hugely frustrating that it has taken so long for the government to act.”
Meanwhile, Ms Braverman said her claim that multiculturalism had failed during a controversial US speech last week had been mischaracterised.
The home secretary attacked the “misguided dogma” of multiculturalism, saying it had “failed”, with communities living “parallel lives”.
Speaking ahead of her conference speech, she said: “My comments have been somewhat mischaracterised. We have so much to be proud of. We have a great multi-ethnic society and in many parts of our country integration has worked.”
Suella Braverman claimed multiculturalism comments ‘mischaracterised’— (PA Wire)
Ms Braverman added: “But there are also many towns and cities around the United Kingdom where it hasn’t and communities are living parallel lives. They are coming from abroad, they are not learning the language. They’re not embracing British values, and they’re not taking part in British life … we must be fearless in calling that out and that’s my job.”
Cabinet colleagues Jeremy Hunt, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly have alls distanced themselves from her remarks at the Tory conference.
Ms Braverman also said trans women “have no place in women’s wards” in hospitals, after health secretary Steve Barclay announced proposals to give men and women the right to be cared for on wards only shared by people of their own biological sex.
Meanwhile, justice secretary Alex Chalk will announce plans to bring in “Jade’s Law” – so that parents who has been found guilty of murdering the other parent will have the right to see their children taken away.
The measures are named after Jade Ward, who was stabbed and strangled by her partner Russell Marsh. Despite currently serving at least 25 years in prison for her murder, Marsh still retains parental rights and Jade’s parents have been campaigning for that to change.
Mr Chalk is also expected to announce the legal expectation placed on judges to hand down whole-life orders will apply retrospectively to those who have already committed the crime but are yet to be sentenced.
On the Jade’s Law change, the justice secretary said the case and the “moving campaign” of her family has exposed an injustice in our family justice system, one that we are committed to fixing”.
He added: “Murderers who kill their partners should not be able to manipulate and control their children from behind bars – which is why we are fixing the law to protect families from this appalling behaviour.”
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says this will ensure that children are protected from their remaining parent having any say in their life, from going on holiday abroad to which school they will attend.
