Robert Buckland Weblog

Lord Sugar’s ridiculous threat to sue the lobby correspondent Quentin Letts is not only an over reaction, but it also demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the natutre of the position he has now taken up.  As a member of one of the Houses of Parliament, Lord Sugar now enjoys the privilege of being able to speak in that place without fear of legal action.  With that Parliamentary Privilege, however, has to come an acceptance that from time to time he will be described in a less than flattering way by journalists such as Mr. Letts.   This may be an unpleasant baptism for the newly-ennobled star of “The Apprentice” but I am surprised that his cuticle has proved to be so sensitive.   In recent weeks, Mr. Letts has come under attack for his colourful language from others including former Bassetlaw MP Joe Ashton.  I suggest that if these people do not like his style, then they should stop reading his articles.

In 1996, Neil Hamilton secured a change to the law of defamation that allowed MPs to sue for slander and libel.  I remain uneasy about that change, because it opens the way to an argument that if they are allowed to sue for libel, why can’t they in turn be sued?  If that argument was to win the day, then our already neutered Parliament would be diminished even further.  Timidity and fear of litigation would be the order of the day.  My advice to Lord Sugar is to stop reading the papers and move on.

Another week and another prison visit.  HMP Birmingham is the second largest prison in the country, housing about 1500 inmates, most of whom are on remand.  This means that the turnover is very significant.  I was impressed by the members of staff I met, and note that despite its size, the prison seems to work pretty well.  That is not to say that I am a sudden convert to the “titan prison” concept.  I think that 1500 should be very much at the upper end when it comes to size.  Anyone who has experience of walking inside our prisons will tell you that it is their smell that makes the most powerful impression.  On the Victorian wing B of that prison today, this old adage proved true once again.

Despite the large turnover of inmates, the provision of educational facilities for inmates is of vital importance. There will always be some who refuse to take up the opportunities offered to them, but plenty of inmates gain useful qualifications that help them move away from crime on release.  The tragedy of the constant “churn” in our prison system is one of missed educational and rehabilitation opportunities, meaning that far too many prisoners are released in no better a position than on the day of their first entry into the system.