PSOE promises not to seek PP votes to reform sex offence law

The PSOE-Socialist party presented its suggested amendments to the 'only yes is yes' law this week with the aim of solving the significant teething problems. However its governing partner, Unidas Podemos (UP), that championed the new law, claims that these are a step backwards removing consent to sex as the cornerstone. The PSOE denies this and says there are only technical differences with the UP.

The PSOE promised this week that it would not seek the votes of the opposition conservative PP party instead when the changes are debated in early March.

The law that came into force late last year removed the distinction between sexual abuse and sexual assault (with violence) and placed explicit consent before sex at the centre of the legislation.

But in combining both types of offence into one concept, it widened the sentence range judges can use when convicting offenders. This in turn has led to the lowering of some 400 sentences so far for previously convicted sexual offenders, a story which has dominated headlines across Spain for weeks.