Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has called for urgent action to halt new sentencing guidelines which he claims will undermine public trust in the justice system.
Speaking to GB News, the Conservative MP has proposed several solutions to prevent the implementation of the guidelines, including "emergency legislation" to block changes taking place in just 13 days.
Jenrick urged Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to use her "powers of appointment" to stop the "completely outrageous and wrong" new guidelines.
The new guidelines will enable the Sentencing Council to advise judges to increase their focus on offenders from ethnic minority backgrounds before deciding punishments.
The Shadow Justice Secretary emphasised the urgency of stopping the implementation of these guidelines.
"We are where we are. What is really important now is we stop this, and I have a solution to that," he added.
Jenrick cited a letter from the Sentencing Council to Shabana Mahmood, which states that the guidelines are those implemented by Labour, not the previous Conservative government.
"The rules that are coming into force are materially different to any one that was seen by the ministers under the last Conservative government, as the Sentencing Council themselves have said in a letter they sent to Shabana Mahmood," he told GB News.
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The Shadow Justice Secretary emphasised the urgency of stopping the implementation of these guidelines.
"We are where we are. What is really important now is we stop this, and I have a solution to that," he added.
"I brought a bill to Parliament on Friday which would have given the Secretary of State, for the first time, the power to amend or reject biased guidelines like this," he explained.
He also suggested Mahmood could take immediate action using her existing powers: "I said she should use her powers of appointment to sack the people on the Sentencing Council, which she could do today.
Jenrick warned about the potential consequences of implementing the new guidelines.
"It will be immensely corrosive to public trust in the criminal justice system, if you felt you were going to get a different system of justice to somebody who had a different colour skin, or abided by a different religion," he said.
He added: "She could bring her own bill forward if her party politics doesn't want to back mine. We would support emergency legislation to change this.
"It is completely outrageous and wrong and needs to be stopped," Jenrick concluded.
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Speaking to GB News, the Conservative MP has proposed several solutions to prevent the implementation of the guidelines, including "emergency legislation" to block changes taking place in just 13 days.
Jenrick urged Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to use her "powers of appointment" to stop the "completely outrageous and wrong" new guidelines.
The new guidelines will enable the Sentencing Council to advise judges to increase their focus on offenders from ethnic minority backgrounds before deciding punishments.
The Shadow Justice Secretary emphasised the urgency of stopping the implementation of these guidelines.
"We are where we are. What is really important now is we stop this, and I have a solution to that," he added.
Jenrick cited a letter from the Sentencing Council to Shabana Mahmood, which states that the guidelines are those implemented by Labour, not the previous Conservative government.
"The rules that are coming into force are materially different to any one that was seen by the ministers under the last Conservative government, as the Sentencing Council themselves have said in a letter they sent to Shabana Mahmood," he told GB News.
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The Shadow Justice Secretary emphasised the urgency of stopping the implementation of these guidelines.
"We are where we are. What is really important now is we stop this, and I have a solution to that," he added.
"I brought a bill to Parliament on Friday which would have given the Secretary of State, for the first time, the power to amend or reject biased guidelines like this," he explained.
He also suggested Mahmood could take immediate action using her existing powers: "I said she should use her powers of appointment to sack the people on the Sentencing Council, which she could do today.
Jenrick warned about the potential consequences of implementing the new guidelines.
"It will be immensely corrosive to public trust in the criminal justice system, if you felt you were going to get a different system of justice to somebody who had a different colour skin, or abided by a different religion," he said.
He added: "She could bring her own bill forward if her party politics doesn't want to back mine. We would support emergency legislation to change this.
"It is completely outrageous and wrong and needs to be stopped," Jenrick concluded.
Find Out More...