Overview

• Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Robert Jenrick said an elected justice secretary would set sentencing policy, replacing the independent Sentencing Council.
• He argued the council has produced a two-tier system and has watered down punishments by recommending ranges below statutory maximums.
• The move follows controversy this year over proposed guidance urging wider use of pre‑sentence reports for minority and vulnerable groups, which was suspended after a backlash.
• The government has already introduced a Sentencing Bill giving ministers a veto over future guidance, a step Labour says corrects earlier errors.
• Labour condemned Jenrick’s plan as hypocritical and a threat to judicial independence, while reports alongside his speech noted he did not shut down talk of future cooperation with Reform UK.