Contributions
747 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDProperty (Digital Assets etc) Bill [Lords]My hon. Friend is right. We want the UK to remain the pre-eminent jurisdiction of choice for legal services, as it currently is. This evolution of our law will enable it to remain…16 Jul 2025HANSARDProperty (Digital Assets etc) Bill [Lords]With the leave of the House, let me say how grateful I am to those who have contributed to today’s debate, in a rare expression of consensus. I welcome the comments of the hon.…16 Jul 2025HANSARD Local Justice Area ReformThat is precisely why we have a consultation—to reflect the variation in different parts of the country. In most cases, the criminal justice area and the area in which a police…15 Jul 2025HANSARD Local Justice Area ReformLet me begin by congratulating the right hon. Member for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (Liz Saville Roberts) —that was my best attempt at Welsh pronunciation; I hope I did not vandalise…15 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThis Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with record and rising backlogs in our criminal courts, leaving victims in limbo as they wait to see justice done. For that…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsIf the hon. Gentleman had heard my earlier answers, he would know that I made it clear that jury trial would remain a cornerstone of British justice in the most serious cases. In…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThe hon. Gentleman will know that the respect across this House is absolutely reciprocated. Rather than sitting idly, we have taken on the challenge of increasing investment to…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsI respect the hon. and learned Gentleman’s wealth of experience before our different sorts of courts, but I also respect the wealth of experience that Sir Brian Leveson has…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsAs I have said, the jury trial will remain a cornerstone and pillar of our justice system in the most serious cases, but what Sir Brian Leveson tells us in the opening pages of…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThe hon. Gentleman makes a very good point. Our focus is on victims of crime, who in some cases are waiting years for their day in court, but on the other side of the coin,…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsAs the right hon. Gentleman knows, and as I said earlier, 90% of cases in this country already happen without a jury, and no one says that that is not delivering justice of the…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsI think that the Prime Minister probably is a hard bastard, and I think that we on this side of the House are tough on law and order. We would never allow what the Conservative…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThe holistic type of support involving the preventive interventions that the hon. Lady has described is exactly the sort of provision that we are considering, in combination with…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsWe are not setting out our policy response to the specific recommendations in Sir Brian’s review today. What we are recognising is his central thesis, which is that at present…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsI respect the hon. Gentleman as a fellow member of the Bar, but I also respect the views of Sir Brian Leveson, the Lord Chief Justice, the former Lord Chief Justice Sir Ian…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsAs I have made clear, we are investing in prison places. Only 500 were added in 14 years under the last Government, but we have committed money to the building of 14,000 new…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The shadow Secretary of State for Justice quotes Magna Carta, but the state’s obligation is to ensure a fair trial, and essential to a fair…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThe proposal for the reclassification of certain offences in Sir Brian’s report is just that: it is Sir Brian’s recommendation. As I have said already, we need to take those…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsThe crisis that we inherited in our criminal courts, with record and rising backlogs, is intolerable. The human impact of that on people, whether they are victims, witnesses or…09 Jul 2025HANSARDTrial by Jury: Proposed RestrictionsI agree with the hon. Gentleman that we all owe a debt of gratitude to Sir Brian Leveson and his team for the comprehensive review that they have undertaken, to which the…09 Jul 2025