300 commitments tracked

- The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 received Royal Assent, removing the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords (House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026, legislation.gov.uk, 2026).

- A Lords committee was appointed on 18 December 2025 to consider retirement age and participation requirements, with a report due by 31 July 2026 (Current evidence, Parliament, December 2025). - Full Fact (6 January 2026) states a select committee has been appointed to consider and make recommendations on proposed reforms to the House of Lords, including a retirement age (House of Lords Retirement Age, Full Fact, January 2026). - Full Fact (6 January 2026) reports that in September 2024, the government was reported to be planning a consultation on a retirement age, but no timeframe was publicly set (House of Lords Retirement Age, Full Fact, January 2026). - Full Fact (6 January 2026) also reports that in January 2025, the government was considering alternative ways to reduce the size of the Lords (House of Lords Retirement Age, Full Fact, January 2025). - The Hereditary Peers Act 2026 did not include provisions for a mandatory retirement age (Current evidence, Parliament, March 2026).

- The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes a provision to extend employment tribunal claim time limits (Current evidence). - Factsheets detailing the Employment Rights Act 2025 were published by the Department for Business and Trade on 18 October 2024, last updated 3 March 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025: factsheets, Department for Business and Trade, 3 March 2026). - Implementation involves consultations in 2026, with the extension likely to be effective in 2027 (Current evidence).

- The Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, David Lammy MP, and Sarah Sackman KC MP announced on 2 December 2025 a plan to modernise criminal courts, including 'Swift Courts' for less serious cases and guaranteed jury trials for serious offences including rape (Press release: 'Swift and fair' plan to get justice for victims, Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Sarah Sackman KC MP, 2 December 2025). - The plan aims to cut delays and address a record backlog of cases (Press release: 'Swift and fair' plan to get justice for victims, Ministry of Justice, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Sarah Sackman KC MP, 2 December 2025). - The existing evidence indicated specialist rape courts were included in the 2024 King's Speech with implementation by 2029, but specialist RASSO courts were not yet operational (Current evidence for MC-067, 2026-04-09).

- The Ministry of Justice, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, and Alex Davies-Jones MP announced on 10 March 2026 the launch of a new national Independent Legal Advisor (ILA) service for rape victims (Press release: Government launches new national Legal Advisors service for rape victims and expands Operation Soteria into the courtroom, Ministry of Justice, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Alex Davies-Jones MP, 10 March 2026). - The service is backed by initial funding of £6 million over two years (Press release: Government launches new national Legal Advisors service for rape victims and expands Operation Soteria into the courtroom, Ministry of Justice, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Alex Davies-Jones MP, 10 March 2026). - The national service is due to roll out later in 2026 across England and Wales (Press release: Government launches new national Legal Advisors service for rape victims and expands Operation Soteria into the courtroom, Ministry of Justice, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Alex Davies-Jones MP, 10 March 2026).

- The Ministry of Justice commissioned an Independent Sentencing Review led by David Gauke in October 2024 (Guidance: Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025, Ministry of Justice, 21 October 2024). - The review's terms of reference included a comprehensive re-evaluation of the sentencing framework (Guidance: Independent Sentencing Review 2024 to 2025, Ministry of Justice, 21 October 2024). - The findings of the review were published on 22 May 2025 (Current evidence for MC-073, 2026-04-09). - A Sentencing Bill was introduced on 2 September 2025 (Current evidence for MC-073, 2026-04-09). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2025.

- The Public Office (Accountability) Bill was introduced on 16 September 2025 (Current evidence for MC-074, 2026-04-09). - The Bill aims to create a statutory duty of candour on public authorities and criminal offences for breach (Current evidence for MC-074, 2026-04-09). - The report stage for the Bill was delayed from January 2026 (Current evidence for MC-074, 2026-04-09). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2025.

- The Public Office (Accountability) Bill includes non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquests involving public authorities, representing the largest legal aid expansion in a decade (Current evidence for MC-075, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - The passage of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill has been delayed, with reports of Treasury resistance (Current evidence for MC-075, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date).

- Every prison now has an employment lead, hub, and advisory board (Current evidence for MC-149, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - All released prisoners receive ID, a bank account, and accommodation (Current evidence for MC-149, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - Purposeful activity participation is declining, with a third of prisoners having none, and overcrowding is cited as a reason (Current evidence for MC-149, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - Official statistics on offender employment outcomes were updated to March 2025, with the latest update on 15 January 2026, but data comparability is affected by the introduction of Probation Reset from May 2024 (Offender employment outcomes, update to March 2025, Ministry of Justice, 15 January 2026). - By March 2025, the prison population was back to near-record levels, and further emergency prison releases may be necessary (The criminal justice system: key findings, Institute for Government, 2025).

- A Wales-specific Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is being developed, confirmed in December 2025 (Current evidence for MC-150, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - Youth justice and probation have been identified as early candidates for devolution (Current evidence for MC-150, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - An additional £700m per year in probation funding is planned by 2028/29 (Current evidence for MC-150, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - The formal strategic review of probation governance has not yet been published (Current evidence for MC-150, Ministry of Justice, unspecified date). - The government launched dual reviews on sentencing and criminal courts, and appointed a prisons and probation minister (The criminal justice system: key findings, Institute for Government, 2025). - Long-term reforms to get the criminal justice system back on a sustainable footing have yet to be announced (The criminal justice system: key findings, Institute for Government, 2025).

- The Hillsborough Law was announced in the King's Speech in July 2024 (King's Speech, Parliament, July 2024). - A Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, which will impose a legal duty of candour on public bodies and officials, is currently being drafted (Ministry of Justice, July 2024). - No further published evidence specific to this commitment has been identified since July 2024.

- Specialist sexual violence courts, which utilise Section 28 pre-recorded evidence, have been expanded (Ministry of Justice, undated). - These courts are currently operating in pilot Crown Courts (Ministry of Justice, undated). - The full rollout to every Crown Court, as per the guarantee, is still in progress (Ministry of Justice, undated). - No further published evidence specific to this commitment has been identified.