Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has failed to say when he’d change the law to force killers to attend court for sentencing, leaving families in limbo.
It is the first time the Tory minister, who took over when Dominic Raab resigned for bullying officials, has addressed the issue.
Mr Chalk told the Commons he was committed to bringing forward legislation to compel offenders to be in court for their sentencing hearing.
However he failed to give a timeframe on when this will happen despite his predecessor making the promise in February.
The Mirror understands there will be no change to the law before the parliamentary recess, which starts in July.
MPs will not return to the Commons until September, with the King’s Speech - which will set out the next year’s programme of legislation - not expected until some weeks or months after that.
It leaves the families of victims in limbo after months of campaigning for the law to be changed.
An increasingly sick trend of killers refusing to appear in court saw Thomas Cashman remain in his cell when he was sentenced for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool.
Other killers who have failed to attend sentencing hearings include the murderers of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa.
The Mirror has launched the Face Justice campaign to call for an urgent change in the law to force killers to face their victims' families.
Ms Aleena’s aunt Farah Naz met Mr Chalk on the one-year anniversary of her niece's death on Monday, as she pleaded with him to change the law to force cowardly killers to attend sentencing.
Today, Mr Chalk told MPs: “I am pleased to be able to say that we are committed to bringing forward legislation to enable offenders to be compelled to attend their sentencing.
“Offenders who rob innocence, betray lives and shatter families should be required to face the consequences of their actions and hear society’s condemnation expressed through the sentencing remarks of the judge.”
But Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed said: “The Tory government has stood by while killers, rapists and terrorists refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court.
“We called for new laws on this back in April last year – but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and have failed yet again to outline a timeline on when they will act.
“Labour will give judges the power to force offenders to face justice in court. Victims deserve nothing less.”
Speaking about Ms Naz and Mr Chalk’s meeting, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This was a despicable crime and we have apologised unreservedly to Zara Aleena’s family for the unacceptable failings in her case.
“Perpetrators of such crimes should face the consequences of their actions by attending court – that’s why we are working on proposals to change the law so families see justice being served.”
Mr Chalk also used his Commons appearance to confirm the government has decided not to proceed with the Bill of Rights.
The legislation - described as a "rights removal bill" by campaign group Liberty -was introduced to Parliament in June, but has since stalled.
It was promised at the 2019 election, with the Tories' manifesto vowing to update the Human Rights Act.
Mr Reed said: “This is the third time the Government have u-turned on their Rights Reduction Act.
“The plans were a dangerous threat to peace in Northern Ireland, prevented us from deporting foreign terrorists and dented the rights of rape survivors.
“What’s astonishing is that a string of Tory prime ministers indulged this half-baked nonsense for so long. If you needed any more evidence that this clownish Conservative government is a directionless political circus, this is it.”
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