Spiking to be made specific criminal offence as part of King's Speech

The new Labour government is expected to make spiking a specific criminal offence in the UK as part of the King's Speech tomorrow (July 17).

Included on a list of 35 proposed bills, said to reflect Keir Starmer's "first steps" as the new UK Prime Minister, a specific offence for spiking is set to be introduced as part of King Charles' speech — which will precede tomorrow's State Opening of Parliament at around 11:30AM BST.

Currently spiking is not a specific offence, and instead is deemed as a form of assault under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

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Labour's general election manifesto had outlined that spiking should be a new, specific offence — with supporters believing it will help police respond better to the crime and protect victims.

According to The Telegraph, between April 2022 and April 2023 police in England and Wales received 6,732 reports of spiking with 957 cases involving needles.

This report also revealed that the average age of the victims was 26-years-old with 74% of those being women.

This new bill has been supported by the National Police Chief’s Council, who according to the BBC have said that spiking is underreported and can be hard to investigate due to drugs being passed through the system quickly.

Last year, the Conservative government ruled out the option of the new spiking law; however, the outgoing government had included a pledge to introduce a specific offence in its election manifesto last month.

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Other laws to be announced in the King’s Speech are expected to include the ban on conversion therapy, a generational smoking ban as well as Martyn’s Law to be introduced requiring venues to prepare for the possibility of a terror attack.

After the speech, MPs will debate the contents delivered in the speech at the House of Commons.

Becky Buckle is Mixmag's Multimedia Editor, follow her on Twitter