Give public a say on prison sentences, says Reform UK
The deputy leader of Reform UK has proposed a new law that would allow members of the public a say when they think criminal sentences are either too harsh or too lenient.MP Richard Tice said he wanted a system where if 500 members of the public said they disagreed with a sentence in a petition to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), it would have to decide whether to refer the decision to a court.He said it would add a further safeguard on sentences and that would give the public more confidence in the justice system.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said they were not actively considering Tice's proposals.
Tice told MPs that "even noble, experienced, wise judges can get things wrong", but that "maybe the public would have ever more confidence in a vibrant democracy, in our justice system, if it was like a system of treble check safeguard of the sentences, without being able to impinge on the original judgement that was following a case."He said it would give people more confidence in the "fairness and the comparative appropriateness of sentences within our system".An MoJ spokesperson declined to formally comment but said that under existing laws, a defendant can refer their conviction to the Court of Appeal if they believe their sentence to be unduly harsh or incorrect.Anyone can refer a case they believe to be unduly lenient to the attorney general, the spokesperson added.Tice proposed the bill in the wake of the case of Lucy Connolly, and referenced her in his speech in the House of Commons.Alluding to Connolly's case, he said someone sending a post on social media could be given a sentence "that might be significantly more than the sentence given to a shoplifter, a robber, a mugger, a drug dealer".Connolly was jailed for 31 months in October after admitting inciting racial hatred. She posted on on X calling for "mass deportation now", adding "set fire to all the... hotels [housing asylum seekers]... for all I care".Her message was reposted 940 times and viewed 310,000 times, before she deleted it three and a half hours later.In May, she lost an appeal against her sentence.
Tice has previously said Connolly should be freed and that her imprisonment was an example of "two tier justice".The CCRC, the body Tice proposes would assess any sentences a public petition has flagged, has faced criticism after a series of missteps.The independent, arms-length body looks into potential miscarriages of justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.Dame Vera Baird KC, the new interim chair of the CCRC, told the BBC earlier this month the commission was "incapable of learning from their mistakes" and she wanted to "root out" the culture causing them.Her predecessor quit in January after an independent report concluded the CCRC had mishandled the case of Andrew Malkinson and had failed to complete basic work that could have cast doubt on his conviction.Malkinson was wrongly imprisoned for rape in 2004. He was freed in 2023 when a judge declared his conviction unsafe when new DNA evidence on the victim's clothing was found to match another man.MPs will debate the use of prison as a penalty for non-violent offences arising from social media posts after a Parliamentary petition created by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe passed the 100,000 signatures threshold.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
UK energy and steel to be classed as ‘nationally important' in procurement shift
Public sector buyers would be able to avoid normal requirements to consider overseas bidders and instead give priority to domestic firms under the plans set out in a consultation launching on Wednesday. Ministers would be allowed to designate sectors such as steel, energy and cyber nationally important in order to help grant them more of the £400 billion spent on procurement each year, the Government said. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said the proposals would ensure British industry was supported and 'boost growth'. 'The new rules being considered will give us the power to protect our national industries, ensuring more money goes to them as we buy goods and services in Government,' he said. The Government said the new rules will also ensure buyers exclude companies that cannot provide evidence of a good record of paying companies in their supply chains promptly and on time in a move to protect small businesses. New guidance will also require Government departments to consider British steel products for the £725 billion of UK infrastructure spending over the next 10 years announced in the industrial strategy on Monday. UK Steel welcomed the proposals, describing them as 'unequivocally positive news' that would help safeguard jobs in the industry. Director general of UK Steel, Gareth Stace, said: 'These changes rightly recognise the strategic importance of steelmaking to national security and the vital role of resilient domestic supply chains.' It comes as the industry faces uncertainty over the US-UK trade deal finalised this month, which slashed tariffs on aerospace and auto sectors but left levies on steel standing at 25% rather than falling to zero as originally agreed. The Government has said both sides have agreed to 'make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products' in ongoing talks.
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tories vow to scrap Labour's workers' rights Bill
The Conservatives have pledged to scrap Labour's workers' rights Bill if they return to office. Kemi Badenoch 's party has vowed to rip up key parts of Angela Rayner's flagship reforms, warning the plans would 'grind our economy to a halt '. The Deputy Prime Minister was warned that her Employment Rights Bill will hurt economic growth and plunge Britain's employment tribunal system into chaos by allowing spurious claims. The Bill would hand staff the right to take employers to tribunal for unfair dismissal from day one instead of having to wait two years. The proposals would also allow shorter notice for industrial action, place fewer controls on strike ballots and create a new quango called the Fair Work Agency to act on complaints. Speaking at the Prosperity Institute on Thursday, Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, will warn that the Bill would 'hand enormous power to trade unions who grind our economy to a halt'. Mr Griffith's pledge to dismantle the proposals comes as the Tories set out a limited range of policies under Mrs Badenoch. The vow to tear up Ms Rayner's plans is one of a handful of clear commitments about what the party would do in office, with the Tory leader preferring to focus on 'first principles' so far away from the next election. Mrs Badenoch has also promised to reverse Labour's tax raid on private schools and undo their changes to agricultural property relief, which critics have warned will cripple thousands of family farms. In his speech, Mr Griffith will commit to setting up a new Backing Business Advisory Board to help shape the business policies of a future Conservative government. He is expected to say: 'In a complete inversion of the Labour Cabinet, everyone on it will have worked in or set up a business. 'With their guidance, we will finally wield the scythe against the red tape that holds business back and makes us all poorer.' He will promise to deliver a 'genuinely world-beating offer' for wealth creators and entrepreneurs, adding: 'We know that you don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer. 'We will not only undo the damage Labour is doing now, we will put forward a plan that makes this country the best in the world to invest and build wealth.' Relations between the Conservatives and business leaders were damaged in the wake of Liz Truss's mini-Budget, which spooked markets. They were put under further strain after a series of tax rises that led to Rishi Sunak overseeing the highest tax burden since the Second World War – a burden that has since risen by tens of billions more under Labour. 'Work begins now' Mr Griffith will say: 'The work to once again make the Conservative Party the party of business begins today. There is no way back to government without this. 'It won't be easy and it will not be done with sugar rush or press release politics. Instead, we will do the hard work needed to be worthy of your trust. 'We will take a relentless and serious-minded focus on how to remove regulations that impede growth, especially the heavy cost of compliance.' The Tories have continued to struggle in the polls, with several surveys this week showing that Reform UK and Labour are outperforming them. Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, responded to the Tories' proposal by accusing the party of wanting to 'dismantle' workers' rights. Mr Reynolds said: 'Kemi Badenoch is crystal clear. She will strip working people of sick pay, backs fire and rehire, and thinks maternity pay is 'excessive'. 'The Conservatives' cruel plans would devastate family finances. It's the same old Tories. They haven't changed and you simply can't trust them to put the working people of Britain first. 'Through our Labour Government's Plan for Change, three million of the lowest paid have had a pay boost. We're going further by cracking down on rogue bosses and giving workers more rights at work – which is good for productivity and good for economic growth.'
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
Keir Starmer taking personal charge of picking off Labour rebels bidding to stop his benefits overhaul
SIR KEIR Starmer is taking personal charge of picking off Labour rebels opposing his benefits overhaul. He will hit the phones in a mad dash to quell the 123-strong insurgency intent on scuppering his welfare reforms. He insisted he would ' lead from the front ' to make £5billion of savings or face a gaping hole being blown in his public finance plans. But one senior rebel last night said No 10 needed to 'take their fingers out of their ears' to win over objectors. The source said: 'We can find a compromise that will achieve the Government's objectives and protect disabled people but they are going to have to get serious.' It also emerged that No 10 appeared to be blindsided by the scores of MPs ready to kill off the legislation. The PM, speaking from the Nato summit in The Hague, insisted he was able to understand the mood of his Labour MPs. He said: 'I'm comfortable with reading the room and delivering the change the country needs.' A vote will take place on Tuesday on restricting personal independence payments and limiting the sickness element of universal credit. It will take only 80 MPs to rebel to wreck the move — and damage his authority. But Sir Keir appeared to leave some hope for rebels, saying: 'It doesn't work as it stands for people who desperately need help to get into work or for people who need protection. It is broken.' Meanwhile, new analysis from the Centre for Social Justice think tank reveals that limiting mental health benefits to people only with the most severe conditions would save £9billion and help more people back into the workplace. Rachel Reeves delivers the Spring Budget in full
