Topic analysis

Victims of sexual violence distressed by MPs’ ‘pugnacious’ questioning

Victims of rape and sexual violence, alongside advocacy groups including Rape Crisis and Women’s Aid, have reported feeling retraumatized and distressed after witnessing adversarial, 'pugnacious' questioning during a Westminster public bill committee session focused on proposed jury trial changes in the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman submitted a formal complaint about the session’s tone, which was escalated to Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani, who affirmed MPs’ right to robust questioning while committee members defended their approach as necessary to uncover the truth.