Despite strong speeches from Baroness Fox, Lord Rooker, and Lord Young of Acton, and despite being introduced at Report Stage with almost no debate in either House, Amendment 334 to the Crime and Policing Bill was agreed on 4 March 2026.

It will introduce a major change to how aggravated offences (hate-related crimes) are defined and expanded into existing law so that crimes such as assault, harassment, or criminal damage can be treated as aggravated not only by race or religion, but also by hostility related to disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, and sex.

Adding these characteristics into the statutory aggravated offences framework, so that courts can treat such hostility as a specific offence (not just a sentencing factor), could potentially lead to more serious charges and enhanced sentences. 

Addressing concerns raised by Lord Young regarding the potential criminalisation of freedom of belief and speech, the Government gave assurances that correctly sexing a person, (‘misgendering’) on its own would not fall within the scope of the new offences. However, whether these assurances will be borne out in practice remains to be seen.

Our briefing includes legal comment from Sarah Vine KC and covers the legal and political consequences of this proposed expansion.

Read the full briefing here