Oral Answers to Questions

Siân Berry Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)]

11. If he will take steps to reduce the length of time people are held on remand for protest-related offences.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jake Richards)]

Decisions on remand and sentence length are made by judges independently of Government, and it would be wholly wrong for a Government to intervene in a judicial matter.

[Siân Berry]

I am disappointed that the Minister has not acknowledged the real harm and suffering that is going on, which is an obvious consequence of the escalation by Ministers of the number of crimes with which people taking protest action are being charged. Does he not agree that incarcerating people for long months and years without trial for offences that are in essence political has no in-principle place in a democracy such as ours?

[Jake Richards]

I do accept that there are issues with remand, which are caused by the huge backlog in the court system which this Government are trying to fix. I look forward to seeing the hon. Lady and her colleagues in the Green party support our proposals when they are introduced next month by the Minister for Courts and Legal Services, my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Sarah Sackman).