Starmer says he is ‘disappointed’ that Sentencing Council won’t change its guidelines
Keir Starmer has said that he is “disappointed” at the Sentencing Council’s refusal to agree to the government’s request to withdraw the guidelines that have led to claims it is promoting “two-tier” justice. (See 11.44am.) Asked about the Sentencing Council’s letter this morning, he said:
Look, I’m disappointed in this response, and the lord chancellor is obviously continuing to engage on this, and we’re considering our response.
All options are on the table. I’m disappointed at this outcome, and now we will have to consider what we do as a result.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, asked what the government would do next and whether the government would rush through emergency legislation, the No 10 spokesperson said he did not want to “get ahead” of the government’s response. But he said all options were on the table, and he pointed out that Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, has described the current guidelines as “unacceptable”.
Key events
Liberal Democrat MPs are also continuing to attack Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, over his call this morning for a trade deal with the US that would expose British farmers to competition from American food produced to lower standards. (See 11.12am.)
These are from Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland.
This is typical of Farage the plastic patriot: undermining British farmers for the benefit of his boss Donald Trump. Farage does not know the least bit about farming communities and his utter ignorance is on full display here.
British farmers are rightly proud of the high standards we have for the food we produce in the UK. That is something we should support and celebrate, not denigrate. The last thing we need is chlorine-treated chicken or hormone-treated beef on our supermarket shelves.
Farage is showing his true colours, as he did with our fishing industry in the past. He wants to use farmers as political pawns – and then sell them out at the first opportunity. We cannot let that happen.
And these are from Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester, and a vet.
Nigel Farage may dress up in a wax jacket for a photo next to tractors in Westminster, but he’s an opportunistic weasel who is no friend of British farmers or British agriculture.
It is not only farmers and vets who are proud of our high animal welfare standards, but the British public are too, and we should not compromise them in trade deals with the USA.
