Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

I am afraid that the Government have completely lost touch with their earlier legislation. They have completely lost touch with the philosophy behind the Sentencing Guidelines Council, they have completely lost touch with the Court of Criminal Appeal—if they ever were in touch with it—and they are now making things up as they go along. New clause 26 is an example of that. I have made the points that I wished to make about the new clause to the best of my ability. Plenty more could be made, but time does not permit me to make them. Sentencing is probably the most difficult aspect of criminal justice practice: it is difficult enough without the Government fiddling around in this way.