Member

Clause 19, in effect, gives the Lord Chancellor and the Lord or Lady Chief Justice an absolute veto over any new sentencing guidelines proposed by the Sentencing Council. That, again, is an unwarranted interference in its work and independence, making it a creature of the Government and driving a coach and horses through the careful arrangements made at the establishment of the Sentencing Council. They were designed to ensure independence from government and have been respected ever since, until the recent disagreement between the Sentencing Council and the Government that led to the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Bill—now, sadly, an Act.