By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-19 04:50:55 | Updated at 2026-09-19 10:10:08
5 hours ago
Parents could have their benefits stripped or even face prison as Labour prepares a major crackdown aimed at holding families to account for youth crime.
Justice Minister Jake Richards said parents should face consequences if they fail to play their part in keeping their children out of trouble.
The Government plans to strengthen the use of Parenting Orders, which can require parents to take specified steps aimed at preventing their children from committing further offences.
Mr Richards told The Times: “I absolutely think that the justice system should hold parents to account in a proportionate way for ensuring that they play their role in keeping communities safe.”
The Rother Valley MP pointed to problems with antisocial behaviour in his own constituency as he argued the public expected parents to take greater responsibility.
He added: “In my constituency, there’s a lot of problems with antisocial behaviour and young people causing problems in town centres.
"And yes, when I knock on doors, people say we need more police. But they also say, ‘Well, what are the parents doing?’”
Parenting Orders can currently be imposed by courts and set out requirements which parents and their children must follow.
Jake Richards MP said parents should face consequences if they fail to play their part in keeping their children out of trouble
Parents can already be taken to court if they fail to comply with an order.
Labour's Youth Justice White Paper, published in May, pledged to encourage and strengthen their use after the number issued plummeted from more than 1,000 in 2009/10 to just 33 in 2022/23.
Ministers said parents and carers should face more meaningful consequences when they deliberately refuse to comply with requirements considered important to preventing further offending.
Mr Richards has now indicated those punishments could extend to benefit cuts or custody.
Ministers are pushing for greater focus on earlier intervention to stop children becoming trapped in cycles of offending
He said: “Parenting orders are going to make sure that parents are more involved in the process by which we try to turn around young offenders.
“Yes, that will have some stick. It could be custodial, or docking benefits - ultimately it will be up to a judge. But we want them to be more involved and that comes with responsibilities as well.”
The intervention comes as Labour prepares a wider overhaul of youth justice, with ministers focusing on earlier intervention to stop children becoming trapped in cycles of offending.
Mr Richards convened police, education, children's services and youth justice leaders in Manchester this week as the Government considers how local services can work together to prevent offending.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith called on the Government to 're-take our streets from the gangs' earlier this month
The Labour minister's comments come just weeks after former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith called on the Government to "re-take our streets from the gangs" amid demands for tougher action against problem households.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which Sir Iain chairs, has called for families living in social housing to face eviction if a member of their household persistently engages in anti-social behaviour.
The measure would apply regardless of the offender's age, meaning parents could ultimately lose their homes over the repeated behaviour of their children.
The CSJ said the proportion of adults who had witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour rose to 41 per cent in 2025/26, compared with 36 per cent the previous year.
Sir Iain described anti-social behaviour as "the single greatest issue affecting the law-abiding public".
