Contributions
562 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I support the amendment tabled by my hon. Friend the shadow Minister, which would ensure the right of appeal to a decision whether a trial should be heard by a jury. The…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)Will the Minister give way?21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Obviously judges are not infallible. That is not a criticism of judges—judges know that they can make mistakes. On the mindset of the person, I…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)That is entirely right but, of course, we do not know, because the assessments in respect of the Bill are so light—there is not one on that point. It may or may not at all mean…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Seventh sitting)Will the hon. Member give way?21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)The central issue here, as with so much of this, is the impact that a single provision, or a single intention—in this case clause 6—has on other areas of the criminal justice…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I am not shocked by anything a Labour Government do.21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Seventh sitting)I wish to address a number of issues in relation to this grouping. First, I will say something about the figures that have been quoted at length today and in previous sittings.…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)As my hon. Friend the shadow Minister pointed out, there are a number of problems that not only arise with what clauses 3 and 4 try to do, but carry over to clause 5, which tries…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)My hon. Friend the shadow Minister makes a good point, and we will get on to talking about the provisions relating to the family courts. In relation to this particular provision,…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I accept that judges can do all this, and indeed sometimes do all this. Surely, however, the Minister will accept that, given human nature, there is a limit to the extent to which…21 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)The way my hon. Friend articulates the point suggests that the rules are effectively stripping people of the right to legal aid by pushing them down from a court where they…21 Apr 2026HANSARDSecurity VettingThe Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that he should have been shown the recommendation of UKSV. He knew he had not seen it, so why did he not ask for it?20 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)The shadow Minister is absolutely right. I invite the Minister to address that point head on in her speech. Even the Government themselves do not seem to be saying it is an…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fifth sitting)The hon. Member speaks with eloquence and experience. I understand the Minister’s point: she has framed this as simply removing a choice from a defendant, as though this is a…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)To the extent that it is necessary, I declare an interest in that I used to be a solicitor regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and registered with the Law Society. I,…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I look forward to spending the afternoon exchanging ideas with the hon. Member. Let me begin by expanding a little on what I had intended to say. I do not agree with the narrative…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I do. Perhaps I could encourage a Tea Room conversation between the hon. Members for Gloucester and for Bolton South and Walkden, in the hope that her wisdom might rub off on her…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)Yes. Let us get back to principles here. I support what the Government are trying to do in reducing the backlog. Of course, that is the right thing to do, and it benefits both…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I continue to be grateful to the hon. Member for hanging on my every word, and I am grateful for the opportunity to expand on that. As I said, it is a basic tenet of English…16 Apr 2026