Question
It is rare that we can achieve cross-party consensus in this place, but I think we have consensus that no party here would want to see rich and powerful men abusing our justice system to silence the voices of victims of violence against women and girls. Eleanor de Freitas took her own life in 2014 after being privately prosecuted for allegedly making a false rape accusation. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women found that the UK violated Eleanor’s rights. Will the Minister please consider Eleanor’s law to ensure that prosecutions concerning allegedly false reports of rape and sexual violence can be brought only by public prosecuting authorities?
Answer
I will certainly look into the case of Eleanor’s law and do all I can to prevent such a situation from happening again.50% vibes
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The question asked whether the Government would consider restricting these prosecutions to public authorities under Eleanor's law. The reply says the Government will "certainly look into" the law, but it does not say whether any change will be made and does not engage with the proposal itself. A second statement only pledges to prevent recurrence. The reply is largely hedged, so the person who asked would likely need to ask again for a concrete position.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government consider introducing 'Eleanor's law', so that prosecutions concerning allegedly false reports of rape and sexual violence can be brought only by public prosecuting authorities? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says the Government will "certainly look into" Eleanor's law, which speaks to the "consider" framing, but it stays noncommittal about whether any change will be made and never engages with the proposal's substance (restricting these prosecutions to public authorities). It also refers to "the case" rather than the law, and the second statement is only a generic pledge to prevent recurrence. |