The penalty for domestic murder can be up to 10 years in prison

People who kill a partner or ex-partner at home with a knife or other tool He could face an extra 10 years in prison under plans to toughen sentencing laws aimed at tackling violence against women.

For murder with intent to kill, the minimum sentence is 25 years.

But in most murders at home, the tool – for example, a kitchen knife – is already there, which means that a minimum starting point of 15 years is used.

The Ministry of Justice has announced that domestic killers will face higher sentences in an attempt to close the 10-year gap.

More than a fifth of all murders are domestic, and in these cases women are the most victims.

There is a 30-year high threshold for gun homicides.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “For centuries, the law has failed to protect women from intimate partner violence – whether it’s rape or domestic violence.

“While we have made significant progress, we must continue to correct these errors.

“This change closes the long gap and ensures that those who kill their spouses face a sentence that better reflects the serious harm they inflict.”

Moje also said the law change would be introduced “as soon as possible” in consultation with the Sentencing Council.

The news was welcomed by Carol Gould, Julie Davey and Elaine Newborough, whose daughters were killed in their home by ex-partners.

Gold, Davie and Newborough, the murdered women’s charity, have been campaigning for years to increase the minimum sentence for domestic murder.

In a joint statement, they said: “Finally, women’s lives are being put at a premium as much as men’s. We have been campaigning non-stop for seven years to convince the government of how dangerous these men are. We have lost our daughters – Poppy, Ellie and Megan – to men like this.

“In seven long years we have dealt with seven Lord Chancellors, each one sympathetic, but this Lord Chancellor David Lammy MP has done the right thing.

“What drives us is that we know the current sentencing guidelines are wrong.”

The existing 15-year base sentence still applies when the victim of domestic violence kills the perpetrator, which the department says is a “necessary safeguard to further protect victims.”

Ellie Butt, head of policy and public affairs at the domestic violence charity, said the change was “very welcome”.

She added: “This is an important step towards improved justice for victims and a much-needed recognition of the horrific nature of domestic homicide.

“While long sentences cannot reverse the immeasurable loss and damage caused by domestic violence, it is an important step to bring justice to the families of the victims and send a clear message that violence against women and girls will not be tolerated.”

“We welcome recognition that women who kill their abusers do not have to be subject to these harsher punishments,” Booth said.

The government has set a goal to halve violence against women and girls within ten years, which Interior Minister Shabana Mahmud described as a “national emergency” in December.

The Law Commission is currently conducting a review of the murder sentencing framework introduced by the Government in December 2024.

The consultation paper on sentencing is due to be published in the summer of 2027.