Eastbourne MP wants to ban registered sex offenders from changing their names

Mrs Ansell has put her name to a Ten Minute Rule Bill, which was campaigned for by MPs Mark Fletcher and Sarah Champion, to close a legal loophole.

Currently anybody can change their name, without reference to any criminal past, with the responsibility falling on the individual to keep authorities up to date if details are altered, according to the MP.

Mrs Ansell said although there is a punishment of up to five years in jail for those who don’t notify the police, a 2021 report by the Safeguarding Alliance found 16,000 offenders breached notification requirements in the past five years, and 905 sex offenders went missing between 2017-2020.

The MP added: “It cannot be right that sex offenders can simply reintegrate themselves into society, perhaps even vanish or take up positions looking after children, just by changing their names.

“People need to have confidence it is impossible for this to happen. This bill will stop a name change for sex offenders so they can be more easily tracked to protect vulnerable people and children.”

The Sexual Offences (Prohibition of Name Change) bill’s second reading will take place at the House of Commons on Friday, March 24.

Ten Minute Rule Bills are backbench private member's bills and although they rarely become law due to a lack of parliamentary time, the mechanism is used to raise awareness of an issue and sometimes the government will decide to support it, the MP explained.

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