🔥 Sex Work & UK Politics 2025: ‘Unbuyable’ Bill, Crime Law Risks & Why Decriminalisation Is Vital In 2025

Sophia True
May 8
3 min read

In 2025, UK sex workers—online and in person—are facing serious political threats.

From new bills that increase criminalisation to growing public support for full decriminalisation, the legal landscape is shifting. If you care about bodily autonomy, worker safety, and basic human rights, here’s what you need to know.

❌ The ‘Unbuyable’ Bill: A Harmful Push to Criminalise Clients

What is it?

Proposed by MSP Ash Regan, the "Unbuyable" Bill would criminalise the purchase of sex but not its sale. Supporters claim this reduces trafficking—but in practice, it mirrors the Nordic Model, which has been widely criticised for harming sex workers.

"The Commodification of women’s bodies is a human rights violation that harms all of us.

Allowing men to continue buying sexual acts from women and girls does not

just have an impact on the sellers, but on society as a whole. It furthers

misogynistic attitudes towards women and girls and has a negative impact on

overall levels of violence against all women and girls, not just those involved in

prostitution. Prostitution is seen as commercial sexual exploitation, which is

inherently harmful to the sellers, to women as a class and to society as a whole." [1]

Why it’s dangerous:

Criminalising clients pushes sex work further underground. Sex workers may take greater risks, skip client screening, or avoid calling the police when in danger—all in order to avoid detection. The Bill fails to take into consideration the autonomy of the Sex Worker. It's just as harmful to assume every Sex Worker is vulnerable as it degrades the female independence we have all fought to achieve.

What about online sex work?

Even if not directly targeted, bills like this influence how platforms and payment processors treat sex workers. Expect more bans, de-platforming, and hidden discrimination.

⚖️ Crime & Policing Bill: Criminalising Sex Workers’ Support Networks

What is it?

The Crime and Policing Bill includes proposals to criminalise anyone who “facilitates” sex work—including drivers, receptionists, friends, and even partners.

Why this matters:

This would effectively outlaw sex workers’ safety systems. Workers who rely on colleagues, housemates, or hired security could lose access to those lifelines—or risk criminal charges.

The criminalisation of adult services websites would force sex workers to work in brothels or on the street in order to support themselves, pushing them directly into the hands of potentially exploitative managers and reducing their control over their working conditions. [2]

And online?

The digital landscape isn’t safe either. Tech support, web designers, even social media moderators helping sex workers could face legal risk under broad definitions of “assistance.”

Online advertising makes sex workers safer and gives them greater autonomy because it allows them to work independently, to find and screen clients, to set boundaries about what they will and won’t do, and to protect their privacy. [2,3]

📊 Public Opinion Is Shifting—The Majority Support Decriminalisation

Good news:

A growing number of UK residents—over 50% in recent polls—support full decriminalisation of sex work [4, 5]. This means removing all criminal penalties for consensual adult sex work, both buying and selling.

Why this works:

Decriminalisation improves safety, allows access to legal rights, and reduces stigma. It also helps police and NGOs focus on real trafficking victims, not consenting adults trying to work safely.

Digital benefits:

Decriminalisation means less online censorship, better banking access, and fewer bans on platforms for online workers.

But if the majority of UK adults now support full decriminalisation, why are lawmakers still pushing harmful bills like the ‘Unbuyable’ Bill or the Crime and Policing amendments?

The answer lies in a mix of political optics, misinformation, and exclusion. Despite public support, MPs often align with powerful lobbying groups—some rooted in moralistic or radical feminist ideologies—that frame all sex work as exploitation.

These narratives, though widely disputed by sex workers and backed by little evidence, are politically convenient. Sex workers themselves are rarely consulted in policy-making, and media coverage often blurs the line between consensual work and trafficking. As a result, laws continue to reflect fear and control rather than the lived realities and rights of workers.

✅ Want to Help? Here’s What You Can Do

✍️ Sign the Petition

👉 Sign here to support decriminalisation via the English Collective of Prostitutes

💬 Educate Yourself & Share

💸 Donate to Frontline Organisations

References

📰 Further Reading

📄 The Times: Politicians who didn't stand up for women should hang their head in shame
📄 UK Parliament: Crime and Policing Bill Memorandum
📄 English Collective of Prostitutes: Latest News

Sex workers deserve safety, rights, and respect—on the street, online, and everywhere in between. Let's work toward a future that protects everyone.