Labour has blocked Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick’s attempt to throw out the sentencing guidelines at the centre of a fiery “two-tier justice” row.
Jenrick’s Bill had sought to ban the Sentencing Council from issuing sentencing guidelines without the Justice Secretary’s consent – and to give her the power to amend them before they are issued.
Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, had vowed that she “won’t hesitate to legislate” in response – and said she would be meeting the Sentencing Council to “consider their role and powers”.
Mahmood had asked the council to reconsider its guidance for judges to consider a criminal’s ethnicity before deciding their punishment – but the independent body rejected the request.
But despite the new guidelines coming into effect as soon as April 1, Labour has thrown out Jenrick’s Bill – sparking uproar from the Tory firebrand.
Labour has blocked Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick’s attempt to throw out ‘two-tier’ sentencing guidelines
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Shabana Mahmood had vowed that she ‘won’t hesitate to legislate’
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“Labour has just opposed my Bill which would give the Justice Secretary the power to stop the two-tier sentencing rules,” he said.
“Their mask has slipped. In just 18 days, we are set to have a two-tier justice system because of two-tier Keir.”
Jenrick then turned his fire on Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader was pictured at the Cheltenham Festival.
He said: “Today I took forward a Bill to stop the two-tier sentencing rules that come into force in just 18 days.
‘TWO-TIER JUSTICE’ – READ MORE:
Robert Jenrick turned his fire on Nigel Farage after the Reform UK leader was pictured at the Cheltenham Festival
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“While Nigel Farage swanned off to Cheltenham to forget his troubles, we will keep fighting for the British people against two-tier Keir.”
A pre-sentence report is usually necessary before handing out punishment for someone of an ethnic, cultural or religious minority, alongside other groups such as young adults aged 18 to 25, women, and pregnant women.
Mahmood had told the Sentencing Council that access to such a report should not be determined by ethnicity, culture or religion.
Then in the Commons today, a shout of “object” could be heard as Jenrick presented his private members’ Bill, preventing it from receiving a second reading.
Sir Christopher Chope called for organisations like the Sentencing Council to face direct scrutiny from MPs
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Then, Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope called for organisations like the Sentencing Council to face direct scrutiny from MPs.
Chope said arm’s-length bodies (ALBs) had gone “rogue”, including National Highways when it rolled out smart motorways, and the Sentencing Council through its “two-tier justice”.
He told the Commons that Lord Justice Davis should have “conceded” defeat to the Justice Secretary.
He asked: “Why have we set up a system whereby the Sentencing Council is able to dictate this type of policy, overriding the will of ministers and of elected Members of Parliament?”
