Government admits it mistakenly included a law that threatens to jail for life anyone who has called for the abolition of the monarchy on a list of recently repealed offences
John Hall
The government has confirmed that republicanism is still punishable by life imprisonment and that it remains illegal to even ‘imagine’ overthrowing the Queen.
The revelation comes as the Ministry of Justice embarrassingly admitted that a law threatening to jail for life anyone who has called for the abolition of the monarchy had been mistakenly included on a list of 309 offences due to be repealed before May.
Although the law has not been used to prosecute anyone since 1879, it means that it is still theoretically possible to imprison for life anybody who even so much as “imagines” overthrowing the Crown or waging war against the Queen.
Yesterday, it emerged “being an incorrigible rogue”, under the Vagrancy Act 1824, had also been repealed.
A total of 327 criminal offences were also created in the year to May, a 12% increase compared with the previous 12 months.
Categories: Rebellion
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