Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, if she will publish the advice and papers on which her decision of 1 September 2026 not to refer the case of Aria Thorpe to the Court of Appeal was based.

My deepest sympathies remain with Aria Thorpe’s family and loved ones. The loss of a nine-year-old child is profoundly tragic. The circumstances of Aria’s death were considered at trial, which ultimately concluded with an acquittal.

A reference under section 36 Criminal Justice Act 1972 was not possible in this case because there was no point of law which required further determination by the Court of Appeal. Such references cannot be used to alter the verdict, overturn the acquittal, or order a retrial.