Labour minister squirms in fiery Sky News conflict: ‘How was it missed?’ | Politics | News | EUROtoday

A senior Labour minister was left squirming this morning as he was requested to say who’s guilty for brand new sentencing steering that might put white males in jail for longer than minorities for the very same crime.

Matthew Pennycook was informed to elucidate how the federal government had missed the key change to jail sentencing pointers, as his occasion was accused of being ‘asleep at the wheel’.

Yesterday prime judges rejected claims they’re making a ‘two-tier justice system’ and slammed Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood after she demanded the arms-length physique carry out a serious u-turn.

The council’s justices stated they “do not accept the premise of your objection”, in a letter to Ms Mahmood.

This morning Mr Pennycook was probed concerning the row, insisting that the federal government is now trying into the broader query of the position of the sentencing council to reassert the primacy of MPs and ministers in making regulation.

He informed 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 identified that the brand new two-tier steering was mentioned 15 instances between July 2022 and January 2025.

He was requested: “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 identified that the Secretary of State solely turned conscious of the steering after shadow Justice secretary Robert Jenrick introduced it to her consideration.

Mr Pennycook started stating that Mr Jenrick was a authorities minister on the time the brand new sentencing steering was first mentioned, nevertheless Mr Frost jumped in to level 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.

“Is it fair to say you were asleep at the wheel?”

Mr Pennycook denied that his authorities had failed to identify the modifications they’re now opposing so vocally, however insisting the Justice Secretary couldn’t have been clearer concerning the authorities’s view.

He known as on the sentencing council to “rethink and rescind” the steering, and warned the federal government will “take steps” in the event that they don’t.