Speeches by Paul.

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“Thank you for that guidance, Ms Jardine. I would suggest that the legal aid changes are a really important outcome of clause 6. In fact, I think I would come under huge criticism if I made this speech without mentioning legal aid, because I have not raised it at all—well, I did in an earlier speech. I have not raised i…”

“Ministers repeatedly say justice delayed is justice denied—of course it is. But that slogan does not identify the cause of delay, and it does not prove that clause 3 is the right cure. Indeed, Sir Brian Leveson said that the most significant cause is “chronic underfunding”, coupled with “increased complexity” and loss …”

“Another concern is legal representation. The Law Society warns that the Bill’s proposals would increase the number of defendants in magistrates courts who are ineligible for legal aid, even though they would currently qualify if their case were heard in the Crown court.”

“It also points to youth courts, where magistrates have long dealt with cases carrying up to 24 months’ custody. But that support does not answer the central objection. The issue is not whether magistrates are dedicated, public spirited or capable of serious work. Of course they are, and many do excellent service. The i…”

“Thank you for that guidance, Ms Jardine, but that seems to suggest that we are not allowed ever again in this Bill Committee to bring up the fact that the right to elect for jury trial and rights to legal aid are being removed. Surely we need to be able to talk about that as we go through the Bill.”

“Something I have said before that bears repeating is that the case against clause 3 and indeed the Bill is not that backlogs are tolerable; it is that the real causes of delay lie elsewhere and should be addressed directly. Many of Leveson’s recommendations, including prison transport, case management, listing, sitting…”

“Professor Rebecca Helm’s paper surveyed 1,015 adults and specifically isolated the views of those with jury service experience, those who had appeared in court charged with criminal offences and those from ethnic minority groups. Her results showed that people with jury service experience and people with defendant expe…”

““the most effective and straightforward way for magistrates’ courts to…assist in reducing the Crown Court backlog”.”

“Perhaps I am more optimistic about these things.”

“If we are increasing the sentence in the magistrates court, I would imagine the Minister will agree that, in some situations, we are increasing the complexity of the case. For example, a sexual assault case could be quite complicated and require, in order to look after the alleged victim and make sure their wellbeing i…”

“I agree with my hon. Friend. Frankly, I am shocked that a Labour Government would do that. It is the last thing I expected of a Labour Government.”

“Since the cap on judicial sitting days was lifted in October 2025, the backlog has reduced in key regions, including London, and fell materially in places such as Maidstone. The Bar Council and the Law Society both argue that there are further practical changes that can be implemented now without curtailing jury trials…”

“The Sentencing Act 2026 now allows custodial sentences of up to three years to be suspended, and introduced presumption to suspend short custodial sentences. Those are changes that may well affect plea behaviour, sentencing outcomes and, in due course, trial volumes. They are, however, not obviously incorporated into t…”

“One of the biggest weaknesses in the Government’s case is the false choice built into the impact assessment. The impact assessment sets up two options: option 0, do nothing, and option 1, implement the criminal court reform measures in the Bill. That may be tidy as a Treasury Green Book template, but it is substantiall…”

“It is only fair to acknowledge that the Magistrates’ Association takes a different view. It supports the extension of magistrates’ sentencing ranges, and says this is”

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“At the very least, Ministers should have been required to present Parliament with a more realistic counterfactual, incorporating live reforms already in train, including uncapped sitting days and new sentencing powers, before setting out to make permanent constitutional change. If the choice is set up as do nothing ver…”

“The Government’s figures tell us that the package reduces Crown court sitting days by 27,000 and increases magistrates court sitting days by 8,500, but where exactly in that modelling is the court time for the new allocation architecture itself? Clause 3 requires judges to assess likely sentence, hear representations, …”

“It is a pleasure to start the day with you and end the day with you, Ms Jardine. I am sure you are very much enjoying starting your day with me and ending your day with me, too. [Laughter.] I have just realised how that can be interpreted. My apologies, Ms Jardine; I cannot account for the minds of other Members. To ge…”