Speeches by Paul.

“”

“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…”

“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…”

“That is a rather devastating critique, because it does not come from some romantic defence of tradition—attractive though that may be—but stems from a cold look at the Government’s own numbers and the inescapable conclusion that the gains appear modest and come with substantial legal risks.”

“My hon. Friend is making some powerful points. Hearing him read out what the law says brings home to me just how terrible this Bill is. Surely everyone can see that there is no clarity how it would work. Rather than there being any clear guidance, it essentially feels as though any judge can have their own view on comp…”

““there is still a lot of uncertainty attached to the potential benefits of the government’s proposed structural reforms. There is also a serious risk that they could backfire and cause further declines in both productivity and performance.””

“JUSTICE and the Bar Council build on that point. JUSTICE notes that the Government’s model assumes cases within scope average 6.25 sitting days, while the Criminal Bar Association says that they are typically closer to three sitting days, meaning that the savings are likely overstated by around double. JUSTICE also say…”

“Cassia Rowland’s analysis suggests the total impact of the Government’s proposals on court demand is likely to be around a 7% to 10% reduction in total courtroom time, with just 1.5% to 2.5% of that coming from the introduction of judge-only trials in the Crown court bench division. The IFG’s later report goes further,…”

“That is before we even get to the cost of written reasoned verdicts. In clause 3 cases, the Bill requires judges to set out written reasons for conviction or acquittal. I have seen that particular innovation praised on the grounds of transparency, but surely if the Government’s argument is about saving court time, they…”

“The Opposition support amendment 51. If the Government insist on retaining clause 4 and schedule 1, then there is a compelling case for removing the power of the Secretary of State to add further offences to the list by regulation. I am particularly concerned by that unconstrained power. If the Government have currentl…”

“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…”

“and:”

““You don’t fix the backlog with trials that are widely perceived as unfair.””

“I want to speak briefly about women, specifically because it is easy for the Government to speak as though anyone opposing clause 3 is somehow indifferent to women’s experience of delay. That is not true, and the evidence does not support it. Section 28 is unavailable in the magistrates courts, and pushing more cases d…”

“This Committee has seen written warnings that restricting jury trials could particularly damage confidence among women and minoritised groups, and that women survivors are frequently criminalised. It is therefore entirely possible for a measure to be sold in the name of helping women victims while, in fact, making part…”

“The equality statement itself admits that it does not have access to full data on who elects jury trials, broken down by disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status, and that it cannot draw conclusions on potential differences in verdicts for individuals with protected characteristics for…”

“On 27 November 2025, an hon. and learned Member for whom I have a great deal of time and respect said in the Commons:”

““jury trials will always be a cornerstone of British justice.””

““Juries are a success story””

“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, …”