The principal keeper of the great seal, the UK’s senior state officer.
Prison overcrowding is driving a major policy rethink. Government plans to accelerate prison-building and expand early release schemes have been revised after public backlash and safety concerns. Officials are also deporting foreign prisoners and reviewing IPP sentences to free up space, with new measures to monitor released prisoners.
Public bodies are investigating unauthorised access to court files related to the July 2024 Southport dance-class attack. The Information Commissioner’s Office is involved, and the Lord Chancellor is overseeing urgent inquiries. Families affected demand accountability and transparency.
A Sudan-born man with catatonic schizophrenia has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to attempted murder in a frenzied attack on a lone woman in March 2024 in Leeds. The attack prompted concerns over safety and mental health care, with the judge noting a sexual element to the assault.