Justice Secretary Needled on ‘Minority’ Sentencing Guidelines Scandal – Guido Fawkes

Justice Secretary Needled on ‘Minority’ Sentencing Guidelines Scandal

Robert Jenrick and Shabana Mahmood have had a feisty scrap at Justice orals in the Commons. Jenrick needled the Lord Chancellor:

“After I brought this to her attention last Wednesday her team briefed the papers that she was and I quote ‘incandescent’ – well, was she incandescent at her officials or at her own failure to read her papers and do her job?”

Mahmood said “it was his government that was consulted extensively on this” and accused Jenrick of acting like LOTO. Some scrambled briefing from Labour on this since Wednesday…

She suggested a meeting with the Council would solve the situation:

“I am actually getting on with fixing the problem rather than looking for a bandwagon to jump on. That is why I have already written to the Sentencing Council. I will be meeting with them later in this week and I have made it very clear I will consider their role and their powers.”

That may be difficult seeing as Council chairman Lord Justice Davis has not reacted well to Mahmood’s new opposition to its guidelines. Jenrick is also presenting a bill which he says will solve the sticky issue of the Sentencing Council’s independence:

“Bill to provide that the Sentencing Council may not issue sentencing guidelines without the consent of the Secretary of State; to give the Secretary of State the power to amend sentencing guidelines prepared by the Sentencing Council before they are issued; and for connected purposes.”

It will be read on Friday. Mahmood says she “won’t hesitate to legislate” if she has to force a guideline change on the Council. Labour whips will have to decide what to do with Jenrick’s bill come the end of the week…