Member

I would far rather see Clause 19 go but, if it is to remain, the removal of the Lord Chancellor’s veto in Amendments 81 to 83 represents a sensible compromise that I hope the Government might accept, so that the sentencing guidelines would be published as such, unless both the Lord Chancellor and the Lord or Lady Chief Justice objected. That would preserve the judicial influence over new guidelines, and the Lord or Lady Chief Justice could, in the case of dispute, enable the Sentencing Council to do its statutory duty by producing guidelines independently.