Labour’s Anneliese Dodds has pledged to no longer allow those guilty of anti-LGBT+ hate crimes to “dodge longer sentences”. Dodds, who was appointed shadow secretary of state for women and equalities in September, accused the Conservative Party of “sitting on their hands as usual” when it comes to tough sentences for hates crimes based on sexuality and gender identity, as well as disability. UK law recognises hate crimes based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity, and sentencing can be “enhanced” for a crime motivated by any of those characteristics, but the hate motivation behind the crime may not be on the offender’s record. However, only racial or religious hate crimes can be upgraded to “aggravated offences”, special versions of certain criminal offences with higher sentences.