Dominic Raab already has rather a lot on his plate. The new Justice Secretary is planning to re-write the UK’s human rights laws as well as nearly doubling the number of convicts on electronic tags. But undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing Raab is the lockdown backlog in the number of people waiting for trials.
At a Spectator event this morning, editor Fraser Nelson asked whether the Justice Secretary might consider an amnesty for the 3,000 people a week who find themselves in court over non-payment of the BBC licence fee. The deputy PM grinned at the suggestion, telling delegates at the Conservative Party Conference that ‘it’s an attractive idea’.
Raab also promised to speak to the newly appointed Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries about the suggestion. Mr S, for one, would be only too happy to see an end to the prosecution of those who don’t want to pay for Strictly…
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