Dominic Raab’s departure from the Ministry of Justice brings the prospect of some of his pet projects going with him. Here the Guardian looks at what changes might be afoot.
Bill of rights
Raab’s controversial bill is facing the axe; Ministry of Justice insiders have suggested they would not be surprised if it gets shelved. The bill has been Raab’s pet project for years, revived under Boris Johnson before Liz Truss scrapped it during her short-lived administration. Sunak is already said to have had concerns that it could spark a row between Tory MPs and be blocked by the House of Lords. The bill would make it explicit that UK courts can disregard rulings from the European convention on human rights to help solve the impasse over the removal of migrants to Rwanda. But Sunak has already caved in to demands from Tory MPs to harden the illegal migration bill to do just that, meaning that parts of the bill become redundant.
Relationship with legal profession
The government’s relationship with the legal profession hit rock bottom under Raab, who clashed with criminal barristers in England and Wales over their pay and refused to increase legal aid rates for solicitors. It improved substantially – and briefly – when Brandon Lewis was in post, when he struck a deal with striking barristers. Lawyers have high hopes of another improvement in their dealings with the MoJ now that Alex Chalk, a KC who has respect for and within the profession, is in charge. Allies of the new justice secretary say that reducing court backlogs and taking the heat out of dealings with the legal world is high on his list of priorities.
Prison capacity
Raab was accused of endless reorganisations and under-resourcing of the prison estate and probation. Chalk takes over as the government prepares for the overall prison population to rise from 84,000 to 94,000 by March 2025. MoJ insiders say the new justice secretary will have to focus on properly funding prisons, already at breaking point. The newly built Fosse Way prison near Leicester, which will house almost 2,000 prisoners, will help, but overcrowding is still a pressing issue in Chalk’s in-tray.
Criminals in court for sentencing
Raab was urged to fast-track plans to force criminals to attend their sentencing after the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel refused to leave his cell to be sentenced earlier in April. The aunt of Zara Aleena, who was murdered while walking home in June 2022, said allowing convicted criminals to avoid facing the court meant the “convict actually exercises their bit of power”. Whitehall sources say they would be surprised if there was a change of direction now that Raab had left. But they stress that Chalk will want to make up his own mind. While the policy is popular with the public, there is a counter-argument that forcing agitated offenders into court could be even more traumatic for victims and families.
Parole reforms
Just days before he quit, high court judges ruled that Raab acted unlawfully by stopping prison and probation staff in England and Wales from recommending whether a prisoner was fit for release or transfer to open conditions. His successor will have to decide whether he wants to press on with the plans, which the MoJ says would provide one clear recommendation from ministers on the dangerousness of serious offenders, but could open him up to contempt of court proceedings. Chalk will also have to decide whether to expand a long-promised victims’ law to give himself controversial powers to veto the release of some prisoners, in a bill currently going through parliament.
