Written question asked by Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour) on Thursday, 29 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 February 2026. It was answered by Sarah Jones (Labour) on Thursday, 5 February 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Domestic Abuse

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the definition of coercive and controlling behaviour within the Serious Crime Act 2015 to include extremist groups, cults and gangs.

Answer

Controlling or coercive behaviour (CCB) is an insidious form of domestic abuse. The CCB legislative framework was introduced in 2015 and was explicitly designed to address patterns of behaviour within relationships where the perpetrator and victim are “personally connected”, as outlined in Section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. Expanding CCB beyond this context would risk undermining that clarity, creating uncertainty for police to identify, investigate and prosecute this offence.

We do not intend to expand the CCB offence beyond its current scope at this time.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 109755
Session: 2024-26
Transferred: Yes
Subjects: Domestic abuse Radicalism Religious sects Gangs
Legislation: Serious Crime Act 2015
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Domestic Abuse

Secondary information

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