Matthew Pennycook grilled by Sky News' Wilfred Frost
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A senior Labour minister was left squirming this morning as he was asked to say who is to blame for new sentencing guidance that could put white men in prison for longer than minorities for the exact same crime.
Matthew Pennycook was told to explain how the government had missed the major change to prison sentencing guidelines, as his party was accused of being ‘asleep at the wheel’.
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Yesterday top judges rejected claims they are creating a ‘two-tier justice system’ and slammed Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood after she demanded the arms-length body perform a major u-turn.
The council’s justices said they “do not accept the premise of your objection”, in a letter to Ms Mahmood.
This morning Mr Pennycook was probed about the row, insisting that the government is now looking into the wider question of the role of the sentencing council to reassert the primacy of MPs and ministers in making law.
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READ MORE: Judges defend controversial 'two-tier justice' bid for ethnic minority criminals
Matthew Pennycook was slammed by Sky News (Image: Sky News)
He told Sky News: “It is ministers that determine policy. And while we absolutely respect the independence of the judiciary ministers have that obligation to set policy. We don’t agree with this policy.”
However Sky’s host pointed out that the new two-tier guidance was discussed 15 times between July 2022 and January 2025.
He was asked: “How was this not spotted?”
Mr Pennycook replied: “I’m not going to speak for the individual civil servants who were in whatever particular meeting… I think the Justice Secretary could not have been clearer about her view and the government’s view.”
Presenter Wilfred Frost pointed out that the Secretary of State only became aware of the guidance after shadow Justice secretary Robert Jenrick brought it to her attention.
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Mr Pennycook began pointing out that Mr Jenrick was a government minister at the time the new sentencing guidance was first discussed, however Mr Frost jumped in to point out he’s already held Mr Jenrick to account for that “but you’re blaming a civil service by implication.”
“15 meetings and 15 sets of minutes where it is referred to. Of which eight months-worth were whilst you were in government.
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“Is it fair to say you were asleep at the wheel?”
Mr Pennycook denied that his government had failed to spot the changes they are now opposing so vocally, but insisting the Justice Secretary could not have been clearer about the government’s view.
He called on the sentencing council to “rethink and rescind” the guidance, and warned the government will “take steps” if they don’t.