Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, has received a posthumous pardon from the King, more than 70 years after her hanging. David Lammy, the justice secretary, announced on July 8, 2026, that the King had granted a conditional pardon on the advice of the Government.
Ellis, a nightclub hostess, was convicted of murdering her lover, David Blakely, and was executed on July 13, 1955. Her grandchildren had long campaigned for a pardon, arguing that she was a victim of abuse. Their application to Mr. Lammy last year sought a conditional pardon.
Ellis shot Blakely outside The Magdala pub in Hampstead, London, after a tumultuous relationship marked by infidelity, an aborted pregnancy, and violence, including an incident where Blakely punched her in the stomach, leading to a miscarriage. The case became politicized amid public questioning of capital punishment in 20th-century Britain.
During the trial, Ellis admitted intending to kill Blakely, and the jury convicted her of murder in just 20 minutes. The judge instructed the jury to disregard the fact that Ellis had been "badly treated by her lover" as a defense.
Unlike court appeals, pardons can consider broader factors, including social developments, that might render a conviction or its resulting punishment unjust. Mr. Lammy informed the House of Commons that the King had accepted the government's advice to grant the pardon.
"While the pardon does not claim she was innocent of killing David Blakely, it replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life imprisonment to recognise a profound injustice in this exceptional case," Lammy stated.
