Speeches by Farnsworth.

“In your review you said that you have changed your view on that. Have you?”

“From Government.”

“What is the thinking there? It would save a tiny bit of time on each of those allocation hearings, would it not, but it does not change the result?”

“Of course, the magistrates will have looked at the facts of those cases, as outlined, and decided that their sentencing powers were sufficient; but, if it turned out that it was more serious when the evidence was heard, presumably they would still have the option of committing for sentence to the Crown court, if they f…”

“I do not think there is. Thank you.”

“Good afternoon, Sir Brian Leveson. My name is Linsey Farnsworth. I am the Amber Valley MP. My interests are as per the register, but of note for today’s purpose is that I was a Crown prosecutor for 21 years before entering Parliament.”

“I think, in 2024-25, 4,283 defendants elected Crown court trial, so that would be 4,283 cases that would have stayed out of the Crown court last year, in an instant.”

“There is no suggestion anywhere in the review that magistrates’ ability to commit for sentence is going, is there?”

“Just on the point of case allocation, obviously in the magistrates court, as you have said, the prosecutor and defence will make representations; but the magistrates make the assessment of whether it is suitable for summary trial or not, based on their sentencing powers. That is taken on the prosecution’s case at its h…”

“Let us go on to some of those principles, staying on the right to elect. You recommend removing the right to elect trial for offences with a maximum sentence of two years, describing them as the least serious of the either-way cases, but you have identified a pool of additional offences that could also be removed from …”

“My hon. Friend is making a very powerful speech. I was looking at some of the examples of how this mechanism protects people in the UK. For example, the injunction served on The Sunday Times preventing it from reporting on thalidomide was overturned by the European convention on human rights. Such cases show how import…”

“rose—”

“On the subject of criminal co-operation, before I came into Parliament I was an international liaison prosecutor. My job was to get evidence from overseas and help to get people overseas in Europe extradited to the UK for prosecution. That work relies on the ECHR, which underpins that legislation. Does the Minister sha…”

“My presence here shows that this debate has cross-party support. We are in different political parties, but we have a very similar view on the urgency and importance of this topic. I echo the points that have been made about oversubscription. I was recently in a Westminster Hall debate in which my speech was curtailed …”

“I absolutely agree. As my hon. Friend will have seen—she sits alongside me on the Justice Committee—there is clear evidence to back that up. Secondly, starting the process of rehabilitation through positive requirements earlier will reduce reoffending rates on release, thereby cutting crime and consequently easing pres…”

“My new clause 36 seeks to implement a key recommendation of David Gauke’s independent sentencing review, on which the measures in this Bill are based. The new clause proposes that release at one third of a sentence should be conditional on positive actions and purposeful activity, such as attending education classes, e…”

“Does the right hon. Member realise that the Sentencing Council does not just pluck out of the air its sentencing recommendations? It consults widely with a variety of organisations, people working in the criminal justice system and the public before coming to its conclusions about the right sentences for offences. I wo…”

“I thank my hon. Friend, the Chair of the Select Committee. I greatly trust and rely on his opinion. It is essential that rehabilitative work is available to all in prisons, as I will go on to talk about in a little more detail. On my second point, structured rehabilitation during custody prepares individuals for life a…”

“I am the Member of Parliament for Amber Valley. Before being a Member of Parliament, I was a Crown prosecutor for 21 years. My interests are declared in the Register.”

“I mentioned I was a former Crown prosecutor, so it probably will not surprise you that I really want to delve into domestic abuse situations and the interplay of those situations with the family courts. My first question is for Dame Nicole, if I may ask you about coercive control. I am aware of concerns that perpetrato…”