A Bill to provide that the Sentencing Council may not issue sentencing guidelines without the consent of the Secretary of State; to give the Secretary of State the power to amend sentencing guidelines prepared by the Sentencing Council before they are issued; and for connected purposes.
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
This bill would require the Secretary of State’s consent before the Sentencing Council can publish sentencing guidelines. It would also give the Secretary of State power to amend draft guidelines prepared by the Council before they are issued. In short, it increases government oversight of how sentencing guidelines are created and released.
The bill has completed its 1st reading and is at the 2nd reading in the House of Commons. If it progresses, it would move to committee and further stages in the Commons, and then to the House of Lords.
Generated 21 February 2026
11 Mar 2025
The 2024-2026 session of Parliament has come to an end so the House of Commons is now prorogued until the next session begins on 13 May 2026. Prorogation is the formal end to the parliamentary year.
This Bill will therefore make no further progress.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
