Sentencing Council Guidelines

Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Noble Lords]

Order!

[Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent) (Lab)]

My Lords, I am so sorry, but the Minister needs to reply.

[Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the noble and learned Lord for the point he makes, and I accept that the reason the guidance included those specific phrases was to address the points made in the Lammy Review a number of years ago. The point that my right honourable friend makes and objects to is that that leads to a perception of unfairness in sentencing. While we acknowledge the fundamental mischief, if I can put it like that, of differential sentencing of certain ethnic and racial groups, we think there is a better way of addressing that, rather than explicitly referring to it in the guidelines to the judges and magistrates when they make their sentencing decisions.