Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby and the police on the adequacy of current hate crime reporting mechanisms within professional and grassroots rugby.

The Home Office has not held specific meetings with the rugby authorities on homophobic abuse. However, we work closely with the police and the College of Policing to promote consistent approaches to tackling hate crime, including accessible reporting and effective recording practices.

The police are operationally independent and work in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance to respond to hate crime. We expect the police to record and investigate offences motivated by hatred or hostility, and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice where criminal thresholds are met.