Labour’s much-hyped Crime and Policing Bill is hitting Parliament this afternoon, with big promises to crack down on low-level theft and antisocial behaviour. Though as Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp pointed out, around two-thirds of the hefty bill actually come from the Tories—so not quite the Labour victory Yvette Cooper is selling it as. The headline new measure is that police will be allowed to search properties without a warrant for stolen phones. As Guido first reported last month…
Over on the BBC’s Today Programme, they teed up the bill ahead of interviewing Cooper with a cosy chat featuring Danny Shaw who just happens to be the Home Secretary’s former senior political adviser in the run up to the election, and the BBC’s home affairs correspondent. No surprise, then, that the discussion focused on how the bill will make people “feel safer”. Shaw went on to say:
“Some of these changes are really good measures and sensible measures, particularly I would say some of the technical changes around proceeds of crime and confiscation of assets not the ones that you’ll see highlighted these were also proposed under the conservatives but these actually could bring in more money for the treasury and for the home office. They’re really sensible.”
Meanwhile, the National Police Chiefs Council warns forces face a £1.3 billion funding shortfall over the next two years and Labour’s own sentencing czar David Gauke is prepping a report arguing against being ‘tough on crime’. Could the BBC not find anyone else to grill the bill?
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”