England and Wales Raise Sentences for Intimate Partner Murder

England and Wales will require judges to add roughly ten years to the standard murder sentence when a victim was killed by a current or former partner, under reforms announced 29 June 2026. The change targets cases where the killer used control or coercion—patterns courts have historically overlooked. Murder sentences have already risen from 13 to 21 years over two decades, but this law tightens judicial discretion to close documented gaps in domestic homicide cases.