New Delhi, Dec. 27 -- The UK government is facing growing criticism for its handling of child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs, even as it moves forward with a animal welfare policy banning the boiling of live lobsters.

After years of debate, the UK confirmed that boiling lobsters alive is incompatible with animal welfare laws. The government's new strategy mandates that lobsters be stunned with an electric gun or chilled in cold air or ice before cooking. The move builds on a 2022 law recognizing that invertebrates, including lobsters, crabs, and octopuses, are sentient and feel pain.

The broader Labour-led welfare plan also includes outlawing hen cages and pig farrowing crates, ending puppy farming, consulting on banning electric...