Member

New clause 43 would mean that the Bill ceases to have effect two years after its introduction. If anyone is seriously supporting the Bill on the basis that it is a necessary measure to alleviate prison overcrowding, they should be happy to agree to the new clause in the light of how many prison places the Government will provide, including another three prisons coming on board with around 4,500 places. More importantly, we do not need a crystal ball to realise that the Bill will cause untold damage to the country. Offenders will be laughing all the way to their next crimes, and there will sadly be countless victims of those needless crimes. The public may not yet be fully aware of what is coming their way, but in two years they will have seen some of the consequences of the Bill, and many will want it to be urgently reversed. The new clause would make that happen.