Co-conspirators get in touch saying Theresa May’s former Chief of Staff Gavin Barwell was spotted in public brandishing a spreadsheet of former Tory MPs – including contact details – on his way into town this morning. Greg Clark and Huw Merriman’s names were visible on there…
Barwell has been tweeting enthusiastically about the “new political movement” fronted by Tory wets Andy Street and Ruth Davidson “aimed at persuading Kemi Badenoch to reclaim the centre ground for the Conservative Party and win the support of about seven million ‘politically homeless’ voters.” He is on the board of the new effort and tweeted: “Hugely excited about this. Andy and Ruth have shown they know how to win outside ‘natural’ Conservative territory. I hope my former colleagues will listen to what they have to say.” Looks like the master of centrist machinations is once again at work…
After Jenrick’s defection Badenoch was forced to fight off suggestions that the Tories would pitch to the left – as Guido outlined first. The move was strongly denied – but the launch of a new wet movement over the weekend confirms an organised effort is underway. A source tells Guido: “Is Bungling Barwell plotting a takeover of the candidates list? Kemi is in danger of losing control of the party.” Out of the frying pan…
Yesterday, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood declared that Labour would release thousands more serious criminals to avoid the “total collapse” of the justice system, admitting that not sending convicts to jail will be difficult for the party. Now, ex-Tory turned Labour sentencing tsar David Gauke has published his heavily-trailed ‘soft on crime’ sentencing review. You can already hear the champagne popping from early-released convicts…
The key measures, which Mahmood is expected to accept in the Commons later, are:
- Scrap all prison sentences under 12 months. A major win for lags who want to avoid jail…
- Allow violent criminals, including sex offenders, to be released after serving just 30% of their sentence as part of an “earned progression” system. ‘Well-behaved’ criminals will first be tagged before reaching the final ‘at-risk’ stage, where they can be recalled if they reoffend. A reminder: security firm Serco was fined last October for failing to properly tag early-released criminals when Labour first released a wave of them…
- Extend the upper limit of suspended sentences to three years, rather than the current two. Gauke has advised using more suspended and deferred sentences for so-called ‘low-risk’ offenders…
- Make victim protection a legal requirement in sentencing, alongside punishment and rehabilitation.
- More funding for the Probation Service, as well as wider use of electronic monitoring.
- Give courts greater flexibility to impose fines or travel, driving, and football bans.
- Continue the pilot scheme offering voluntary chemical castration for sex offenders in the south-west of England. Mahmood is considering making this mandatory nationwide, though no timeline has been set…
- Lower the Early Removal Scheme threshold from 50% to 30% for foreign offenders.
Gauke said: “The scale of the crisis we are in cannot be understated. Overcrowded prisons are leading to dangerous conditions for staff and contributing to high levels of reoffending. We cannot build our way out of it.” Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick warned scrapping short prison sentences “is a dangerous mistake.” Mahmood was right when she said these measures go against principles of ‘law-and-order’…
Ex-Tory-turned-Labour Sentencing Czar David Gauke has released an ‘interim’ report ahead of Spring’s sentencing review claiming that the ‘tough on crime’ approach is to blame for Britain’s prison overcrowding crisis. According to Gauke, the “knee-jerk” sentencing policies since the 90s—introducing longer jail terms—have left prisons “dangerously close to collapse.” Worth remembering that Gauke himself was in Tory governments that backed these policies, even serving as Justice Secretary…
Now, he wants ministers to ditch tougher sentencing as a way to show they’re tackling crime. His final review is expected to push for a major expansion of community punishments instead, with judges relying on tech to create virtual “prisons outside a prison.” Effectively laying the groundwork for Labour to scrap short sentences…
Gauke hit the media circuit this morning to pitch his softer sentencing plan, despite warnings that weaker sentences just embolden criminals. His main justification? Saving cash. He told the Today Programme:
“Well, I think there is clearly going to be pressure on public spending, but in fact to a large extent, that strengthens the argument that I’m making. Prisons are expensive. The ongoing costs of keeping somebody inside is expensive. Instead [spend money] on mental health treatment, drink and drug addiction treatment, that is relatively cheap. Our addiction to longer sentences is an expensive mistake.”
A soft-on-crime policy disguised as a budget cut. Robert Jenrick slammed the review saying “Labour should be deporting foreign nationals and expanding court capacity instead of plotting to abolish short sentences.” Iceland’s Richard Walker might be hiring some enthusiastic new staffers soon…
A LibDem voter appeared on Sky News last night to chat to Ali Fortescue about how bad the situation is for the Tories and that what Ed Davey’s party really needs to do to earn his enthusiasm is “to be a little bit more open about the need for a close a relationship with the European Union“. Guido is glad to see David Gauke has found a new home five years since he was last a Tory MP…
Gauke has written a smug piece in ConHome to lecture the Tories on why it’s actually the right’s fault (which includes Rishi Sunak) that this election is lost for them:
“Whether through political expediency or conviction, his policies have been right-wing, even if his manner often makes him appear to be a moderate. The ill-judged Rwanda policy has been maintained, and he flirts with leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. He prioritises tax cuts over credible spending plans.”
Is this the same tax-cutting Sunak who hiked corporation tax by a third, froze personal income tax thresholds, hiked National Insurance contributions, reduced exemptions for capital gains tax, reduced the additional rate income tax threshold, and froze the National Insurance, inheritance tax, and VAT registration thresholds? Are Sunak’s “right-wing” migration policies the reason why a party which is pledging to reduce migration to net zero has now polled above the Tories?
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”
