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Fraud Bill [HL]

I am glad that the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, has, after three hours, had an opportunity to take part in this debate. What is more, what she has said makes a great deal of sense. If, contrary to our wishes, the concept of the common law offence of conspiracy to defraud is to be retained, I can see no obvious justification for retaining the wholly archaic rule that a husband and wife cannot, for these purposes, conspire together—or the less archaic rule that civil partners cannot conspire together, given that civil partners have not yet come into existence. They will do so with this extraordinary exclusion from conspiracy to defraud.