Martin Partington: Spotlight on the Justice System

Over the summer, the Prime Minister shuffled his ministerial team. Ken Clarke, the former Lord Chancellor, was one of the minister to lose his job (though he remains in the Cabinet).

Replacing him is Chris Grayling. You can read a bit about him at http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/moj/departmental-board/chris-grayling-mp.

Press coverage suggests that Grayling is likely to be ‘tougher on crime’ than his predecessor – a reputation arising from the time he was the Shadow Home Secretary before the arrival of the Coalition Government.

I’m not so sure. While his predecessor sought to argue for changes in penal policy based on their efficacy, he was also seeking to save money – putting people in jail is expensive. The need for public expenditure cuts remains – so it is not clear how far Grayling will be able to lock more people up, even assuming that that is what he wants to do.

Recent press stories suggest that Grayling’s first challenge will be to try to get the judiciary to accept a cut in their pension entitlements (in fact a process started by Clarke). Now that is a challenge. See, e.g. http://www.solicitorsjournal.com/node/14064