Member

To be frank, I would rather this clause were not in the Bill at all. I support the noble Lord, Lord Jackson, in opposing that this clause stand part of the Bill. It strikes at the fundamental concept of the Sentencing Council being independent and free from political control. The Sentencing Council none the less is informed, through the consultation to which I have referred with the Lord Chancellor, the Justice Committee of the House of Commons and the presence of the Lord Chancellor’s representative at the Sentencing Council, of any and all political concerns. In a spirit of compromise, these amendments maintain the need for the Sentencing Council to seek the consent of the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor, but only if both fail to consent would the Sentencing Council be unable to issue its guidance.