The UK government has granted a conditional posthumous pardon to Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain, more than 70 years after she was hanged for the murder of her lover. Get today's headlines by email Justice Secretary David Lammy announced the decision, saying the pardon recognises a "profound injustice" in what he described as an exceptional case. Pardon Recognises InjusticeEllis was executed in 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover, David Blakely. She was the last woman to be hanged in the UK before capital punishment was later abolished. Announcing the decision, Lammy said the conditional pardon does not declare Ellis innocent of the crime. "While the pardon does not claim she was innocent, it replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment to recognise a profound injustice in this exceptional case," he said. The conditional pardon acknowledges that, under modern legal standards, Ellis would not have faced the death penalty. Family Welcomes DecisionEllis, who was from Rhyl in north Wales, has long been viewed by campaigners and historians as a victim of domestic abuse. Her family welcomed the government's decision, describing it as long-overdue recognition of the circumstances surrounding her case. In a statement, Ellis' granddaughter, Laura Enston, said: "Justice has finally been done." She added, however, that the pardon "does not restore the lives that were broken." Announcement Made in ParliamentThe announcement came at the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, where discussion had focused largely on early prisoner release schemes. Ellis' case has remained one of the most widely debated in British legal history, with supporters arguing for decades that her execution failed to take account of the abuse she suffered before the killing. Join the discussion? 8 July 2026
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