Speeches by Paul.

“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…”

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

“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…”

“Yet we are now being told there is no right to a jury trial, only to a fair trial, and that the Government are on sound legal ground in applying the reforms retrospectively. If jury trials really are always a cornerstone of British justice, surely one does not lightly create a large new category of criminal cases in wh…”

“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.”

“It gives concrete examples, such as:”

“I will not belabour this point, but I hope that, if the Minister is not persuaded by what the Opposition have to say today, she might at least take our points as advanced by her boss not that long ago.”

“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…”

“There is a strong case for the express focus on people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Professor Rebecca Helm’s recent work is especially helpful here, because it goes beyond general polling and looks specifically at the views of those who know the system from the inside, including jurors, defendants and ethnic minor…”

“When new clause 29 asks that the review focus on ethnic minority defendants and white British people in lower-income households, it is not introducing some alien or partisan concern. It is following the logic of the Secretary of State’s own work. If juries matter because they diffuse prejudice, open up decision making …”

“Perhaps I am more optimistic about these things.”

““Juries are a success story””

“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.”

“rather than a judge or magistrate if they themselves were charged.”

“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…”

“The Justice Secretary too, has, shall we say, modified his stance on this question over time. He has been quoted repeatedly in debate as having said in his own Lammy review:”

““independent of the justice system”,”

“can provide protection, or at least”

“Thank you for that, Ms Jardine. I reassure you that I will not be speaking for very much longer, but I will cover the last of what I consider to be the important points. Thank you for your guidance and patience. The Law Society warns that the Bill’s proposals will increase the number of defendants in magistrates courts…”

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