Tl;dr
After a worrying rise in acid attacks in the UK, there has been demand for a harsher punishment to those who use acid as a means to harm others.
As a result, the current punishment of up to four years is seeing an increase in severity. With the new changes taking place, one can receive as much as a life sentence for being responsible for an acid attack. Additionally, prosecutors state that those who miss their target should be prosecuted similarly to successful criminals.
With the announcement coming during the same period as a man attacked a senior with acid, citizens (along with the police) hope these new policies will decrease the attacks.
Opinion:
Personally, I believe this is a smart decision. There is generally no reason to carry acidic substances strong enough to burn people's skin alive. Victims of acid attacks must suffer physical and psychological damage as they go through many types of pain.
I don't see much disagreement coming from this. With the offense being comparable to torture, we can finally have the terrible people who commit these acts behind bars (or not attempting to do an attack in fear of the punishment). With most offenders being criminals or extremists of any sort, I believe the UK has made a smart decision.
(No trolling please. Also, tell me if you think I can improve my tl;dr)