Hello, I'm Alicia McCarthy-Makarthur.

Hello, I'm Alicia McCarthy.

Thanks for downloading the Yesterday in Parliament podcast.

On Tuesday, the 1st of April, the Justice Secretary said she's to review the role of the

sentencing council following a row about so-called two-tier justice.

Sometimes you try your best to be helpful.

Can I join colleagues in paying tribute to the Lord Chancellor for her decisive leadership?

That derisory laughter from the Conservative benches was probably not what the Labour MP

Jonathan Hinder was hoping for when he stood up to back Shabana Mahmood's plan to block controversial guidelines

from the sentencing council for England and Wales. The shake-up came after the council,

said judges should commission reports on offenders from certain ethnic and minority groups

to look at their circumstances before sentencing. Shabana Mahmood argued such reports were likely to discourage judges from sending offenders to

jail.

And it is this that creates the perception of differential treatment before the law and risks

undermining public confidence in the justice system.

Shabana Mahmood reckoned the question was in trying to achieve equality,

should people be treated differently in the justice system?

On this, I am clear.

All must be equal before the law.

And so she'd bring in a change.

Pre-sentence reports could still be used generally,

but the sentencing council wouldn't be able to make guidelines referring to personal characteristics

...