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Controversial sentencing guidelines that were due to come into force on Tuesday have been delayed after a political backlash.
The Sentencing Council, the independent body that sets out sentencing guidance to courts in England and Wales, was due to bring in new rules around how judges should determine punishment for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The new guidance states that a pre-sentence report – the results of which are taken into account when considering a criminal’s sentence – will “usually be necessary” before handing out punishment for someone from an ethnic, cultural or faith minority, alongside other groups such as young adults aged 18 to 25, women and pregnant women.
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Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, had said the proposed guidance was “unacceptable” and amounted to “differential treatment before the law” as she urged the council to reverse it.
When the Sentencing Council initially refused her request, Ms Mahmood threatened to legislate to overturn the guidance if necessary.
She confirmed on Monday evening that she would introduce legislation on Tuesday to block these guidelines coming into effect.
The Sentencing Council has now delayed the “in force date of the guideline pending such legislation taking effect”.
It said in a statement that the council “remains of the view that its guideline, imposition of community and custodial sentences, as drafted is necessary and appropriate”.
However, in a meeting between the chairman Lord Justice Davis and Ms…
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