Close legal gap allowing adults to have sex with 16–17-year-olds

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

Introduce legislation to close legal loopholes that allow adults to engage in sexual relationships with 16–17-year-olds. Close the legal gap allowing adults to have sex with 16–17-year-olds. 30 year olds should not legally be able to have sexual relationships with under 18s.

Although the age of consent is 16, current laws do not adequately protect young people from exploitation by significantly older adults. This gap can leave 16–17-year-olds vulnerable to grooming, coercion, and abuse. Close the gap by ensuring that it is a criminal offence if an adult aged 20 or over engages in sexual activity with a 16–17-year-old where there is a substantial age difference (for example, more than 4 years).

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Raise the age of consent to 18 with peer exception for 16-17 year olds
Raise the age of consent to 18 with peer exception for 16-17 year olds

Timeline

23 Apr 2026	Petition opened for signatures
19 May 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 19 May 2026

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