Claire Throssell, whose two sons Jack, 12, and Paul, nine, were killed in October 2014 when their father started a house fire after gaining access to them, said the change in the law will save lives. The pledge to repeal the presumption in favour of parental contact was announced around the 11th anniversary of the boys’ deaths. Ms Throssell, from Penistone in Sheffield, said the move could help protect children in future cases.

In the inquest, it was heard the boys were lured to Darren Sykes’s home with a model train set before he started the fire and killed himself. He had been granted five hours of access a week despite Ms Throssell’s evidence that he had previously threatened to kill them and himself. The Government said repealing the relevant part of the Children Act 1989 should lead to quicker decisions to restrict contact for abusive parents. A Domestic Abuse Commissioner report published earlier this month found the presumption remained in many cases, including where domestic abuse was present, prompting Dame Nicole Jacobs to call for changes to be enacted promptly. She described the move as a pivotal moment for how the Family Court handles domestic abuse and the protection of children.

Justice Minister Sarah Sackman said the announcement is significant and that she wants the change to happen as soon as parliamentary time allows. A Ministry of Justice report published with the announcement noted that, while practitioners aimed to centre child welfare, some court decisions still left children at ongoing risk. Separately, the Victims and Courts Bill includes plans to automatically restrict parental responsibility for rapists whose crimes resulted in a child and for parents who have committed serious sex offences against children.