Matthew Torbitt

Matthew Torbitt is a former Labour advisor who slept rough on the streets of Manchester as a teenager and was groomed into a gang and was given a suspended prison sentence of 12 months imprisonment.

Is it time to let ex-prisoners stand for parliament?

David Gauke, the former Justice Secretary now reviewing sentencing policy for the government, has long been a thoughtful voice in criminal justice. The reforms reportedly under consideration – including smarter punishments for low-level crime and early release for some offenders – suggest a welcome shift: away from the political chest-beating of ‘tough on crime’ rhetoric,