Victims and Courts Act 2026

Labour will increase the powers of the Victims' Commissioner and introduce new protections for victims of crime and persistent antisocial behaviour.

The bill's long title states it will 'Make provision about... the functions of the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses', which directly addresses the promise to increase the Victims' Commissioner's powers. However, the promise also includes 'introduce new protections for victims of crime and persistent antisocial behaviour.' While the bill addresses 'the experience of victims within the criminal justice system', there is no specific mention of 'persistent antisocial behaviour' in the bill text provided. The bill text is insufficient to determine whether protections for victims of persistent antisocial behaviour are included. Therefore, the bill only partially fulfils the promise as it clearly addresses the Victims' Commissioner powers but does not clearly address all aspects of the promised protections.