The shadow justice secretary will also pledge to crack down on ‘pro-migration bias’ in the judiciary.
Robert Jenrick will vow to abolish the Sentencing Council in a bid to tackle what he claims is “two-tier justice” as he addresses the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday.
The shadow justice secretary will also pledge to crack down on “pro-migration bias” in the judiciary, by sacking lawyers who are involved in “political activism”, such as campaigning for open borders, according to The Telegraph.
It comes as Mr Jenrick called on judges to come down on “scumbags that shoplift and burgle” like a “ton of bricks”, telling the Daily Express: “I believe in the broken window theory of policing – if you allow so-called low-level crime it will only spiral.”
Under the Conservatives, police officers would build prosecutions against repeat offenders through the use of facial recognition technology, with all CCTV images put through the Police National Computer database.
As the Tory party heads into its third day of conference, Kemi Badenoch continues to face questions about her leadership.
Polling difficulties and the spectre of Reform UK have also loomed over proceedings, with a member of Mrs Badenoch’s shadow front bench appearing to call for an electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s party.
Shadow foreign minister Andrew Rosindell urged right-of-centre parties to “unite together” to defeat the left and get Sir Keir Starmer out of Number 10 at the next election, in comments to GB News.
Meanwhile, new polling showed half of Tory members did not think Mrs Badenoch was the right person to lead the party into the next general election, though many said she was doing a good job.
Shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins defended the Tory leader, praising her “resilience”.
She said it takes time for every leader of the Opposition to find their way of doing things, and said it is “very easy for people to criticise her”.
“I think actually there is an enormous amount of support for Kemi in the parliamentary party and indeed the wider party and in the country,” she told Sky News’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
Mr Jenrick was the top pick to replace Mrs Badenoch among the party members polled by YouGov.
The former leadership contender has faced repeated questions during the conference about his ambitions for the top job, but has been insistent that he is backing Mrs Badenoch.
Asked during a fringe event on Monday whether he would stand for the party leadership should there be a vacancy, he said: “There isn’t a vacancy and I don’t expect there will be.
“My expectation is that Kemi will lead this party into the next general election.”
Mr Jenrick is expected to say the Sentencing Council is “not fit for purpose” on Tuesday as he sets out plans to scrap it.
“Never again can the British people face the prospect of two-tier justice,” he will say.
The council, responsible for setting guidelines on sentencing, found itself at the centre of a row earlier this year after it issued guidance recommending judges take into account factors such as ethnicity or gender when deciding whether to ask for a pre-sentence report.
Mr Jenrick and others said the guidance would result in people facing a lesser punishment on the basis of their ethnicity.
The proposal was withdrawn and the Government has introduced legislation to require any new guidance to be approved by ministers.
In his speech, Mr Jenrick is expected to say: “We are slipping into a two-tier nightmare under Keir Starmer.
“All too frequently the law is not applied equally.
“No more, every single person in this country must be treated exactly the same, regardless of their background.”
Academic evidence suggests there is some disparity in sentencing, with offenders from ethnic minorities more likely than white offenders to be imprisoned for certain offences, even when controlling for legal factors such as guilty pleas or previous convictions.
Mr Jenrick will also accuse the Sentencing Council of “watering down” sentences by recommending ranges of jail terms that do not go up to the maximum allowed by Parliament.
A judicial register of interest would be established under the Conservatives, Mr Jenrick said, with the responsibility for appointing judges returned to the Lord Chancellor.
He told the Telegraph he has compiled a list of 35 full-time and part-time judges who he said has previously volunteered help or provided free legal services for open-border organisations.
He said: “While we may have some of the best lawyers, barristers and judges in the world, it is now beyond any doubt that a deep rot has infected parts of our judiciary.
“This will come as little surprise to the public, who have been subjected to absurd immigration judgments that work against their interests and risk their safety.”
A Labour Party spokesperson accused the Conservatives of “yet more rank hypocrisy”, adding: “The Conservatives backed the proposed changes to pre-sentencing reports when they were announced and did nothing to stop them when they were in government.
“Labour took action the moment we uncovered their mistake.
“This is just another cynical gimmick from Jenrick, a man who constantly undermines the independence of the judiciary just to further his own career.”
The party has also set out policy positions to slash £47 billion from public spending and create a removals force modelled on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agency if it were to be voted back into government.
Additionally, its plans to expand the use of facial recognition technology will lead to more thieves being caught and thrown in prison, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express.
He said: “We need a zero-tolerance crackdown where shoplifters are actually caught and sent to prison. Ramping up facial recognition technology can do this.”
