Contributions
562 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)Again, I invite a Tea Room conversation —although we may have to meet somewhere geographically in the middle of the Tea Room. Any measure that materially and detrimentally alters…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I am grateful for that indication, Ms Jardine, and I understand. It had interfered with ongoing legal proceedings in favour of the state, which is exactly what is happening here:…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I intend to wind up quite shortly, Ms Jardine.16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I will go on to my next bit, which is even more relevant than my previous bit. The Police (Detention and Bail) Act 2011 is Parliament’s most recent example of retrospective…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I think it is for the Government to set out the state of emergency. I do not accept that there is one; in fact, I do not think the Government are saying that there is one, when it…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)The hon. Member for Chichester has set out the reasoning behind her amendment very well. If the amendment were agreed to, it would not go anywhere near restoring jury trials, but…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)Evidently, I support the amendment in the name of the shadow Minister. As he set out, this is about confidence in the trial when it gets under way. It is about understanding what…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I echo the points made by the shadow Minister. The issue here is where sentences may go above three years. A sentence of three years or more is fairly significant. The crime, of…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for paying attention to my speech and staying with me on this. Fairly obviously, I do not think that the Criminal Bar Association is always right, but I do…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)Once again, I agree with the shadow Minister. If the Government genuinely want to address the backlog, the answer lies in the other 179 recommendations that Sir Brian Leveson…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)Of course, the Minister made that point—in her view, this is about thresholds. Whether we want to call it an argument about thresholds, and whichever part of history we want to…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I accept the Minister’s statement to the extent that it is a statement of fact of people’s evidence. To address the issue of taking cases out of one court to give to another,…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I agree with my hon. Friend. There is a slightly strange implication that while jury trials have become more complex over time, due to technology and techniques for examining…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)If the situation the courts find themselves in is so obviously caused by the previous Government, why on earth is the hon. Member’s Government scrapping jury trials as a response?14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)rose—14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I will give way to the Minister.14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister. I am probably not in a position to arbitrate between the two arguments; the hon. Member for Rugby will have to forgive me, as I come from the starting…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)Will the Minister give way?14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)This is an extraordinary exchange. I accept that the hon. Member for Amber Valley is not the official voice of the CPS or of the Labour Government, but her sense of “officialdom…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the Minister for rather politely encouraging me to come towards the end of my speech. I will finish by addressing the idea that somehow, because something does not happen…14 Apr 2026