Contributions
411 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSentencing BillAbsolutely. My hon. Friend is a fine champion of this agenda and for his constituents in Harlow, and as he knows, the Bill does more than just fix the crisis we inherited; it will…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillI welcome the hon. Gentleman’s intervention. Over the course of this speech, I will set out what the Government are doing more generally to increase rehabilitation and crack down…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillI welcome the intervention from my hon. Friend the Member for Derby North (Catherine Atkinson). I will come on to the issue that she raises shortly. While we cannot support Lords…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillAbsolutely. I thank my hon. Friend for his service, his contribution, and his support for Lords amendment 1. As I said when I had the great privilege of meeting Lenny’s parents…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillThis issue was raised, I think on Second Reading and on Report, by one of the hon. Member’s colleagues. The legal advice we have received simply states that there is no…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillMy hon. Friend, a member of the Justice Committee, always makes thoughtful contributions on justice issues, but in particular on IPP. A balance must be struck between public…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillToday is a pivotal day. Subject to agreement from this House and from the other place, the Bill will complete all its stages and shortly become law. I want to take this…20 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillThe hon. Member says, “It was a team effort.” I am not sure about that. The Conservatives’ position is an example of real constitutional vandalism. It has never been the case that…20 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsIt is a small number of cases, but they take an inordinate amount of time. That is the whole point of what Sir Brian Leveson has put forward, and in due course, when this…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsWe treat all cases the same. The hon. Gentleman can make that point in a debate on that subject at another time. Let me end where I began. The crisis that this Government…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI will give way on that point, and then I will make progress.07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsIt will be quite tough to follow that, but here we go. This has been a very useful debate. Every single contribution, including those from Conservative colleagues, has commented…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsWe absolutely have to drag the criminal justice system into the 21st century by modernising its structures, but the context in which we operate clearly has an effect on that…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsAs ever, I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this or many of the other issues he raises in the House. Let us be very clear that, as my hon. Friend the Member for…07 Jan 2026HANSARDContracted Prisoner Escort Services: BournemouthMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the shocking situation in our Crown courts and civil courts that the Government inherited from the Conservative party. We must take…16 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have already made it clear during this Justice Question Time that we will not be giving a running commentary on the numbers. This Government are taking action to deal with this…16 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsUtter nonsense! We do not take advice from the Conservative party on the operational challenges that we face when we encounter these issues; we engage with the police directly. We…16 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. and learned Member will know that this is a devolved matter. I met the Justice Ministers from all the devolved nations last week, and we continue to have that dialogue to…16 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for her important question. That sounds like a really important initiative. A big swathe of this Government’s agenda is trying to tackle reoffending, which…16 Dec 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Government regularly meet trade unions and the Prison Officers Association. I will take this opportunity to put on record again our thanks to prison officers, who do an…16 Dec 2025