A number of constituents contacted me ahead of the report stage and third reading of the Voyeurism (Offences) (No.2) Bill on Wednesday 5th September, so I thought it might be useful to provide an update.

I will start by saying that I fully support the bill and was very pleased that it easily passed its final stages in the Commons last week.

As you may know, Labour’s Stella Creasy MP put forward an amendment (Amendment 7) to the bill which would have made evidence of misogynist motivation for the crime of upskirting an aggravating factor when sentencing.

Labour supported the amendment but Stella withdrew it when the Government announced a comprehensive review of hate crime legislation, which will consider whether to recognise misogyny as a hate crime.

This is a very positive step forward and I hope that the review will result in legislation to ensure that victims of sexual violence and misogyny are truly able to access justice.

The Voyeurism (Offences) (No.2) Bill is now in the Lords, where it will hopefully make good progress so that it can complete its passage through Parliament as quickly as possible.