Rishi Sunak is expected to put a series of law and order measures that don’t include Scotland at the heart of his first King’s Speech today.

In a potential headache for the Scottish Tories at the general election, the Prime Minister will focus on crime and prison south of the border as he tries to eat into Labour’s poll lead.

Mr Sunak’s first legislative programme, and his last before the election due by January 2025, will promise tougher sentences for killers, rapists and grooming gang leaders.

In a bid to paint Labour as soft on crime, killers convicted of the most horrific murders would expect whole life orders, meaning they will never be released.

Rapists and other serious sexual offenders would not be let out early from prison sentences.

Other measures include empowering police to enter a property without a warrant to seize stolen goods, such as phones, if there is reasonable proof a specific stolen item is inside.

That could mean using a device’s GPS tracking capability to lead officers to it.

Mr Sunak said: “I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of mind that comes with knowing your community, where you are raising your family and taking your children to school, is safe. That is my vision of what a better Britain looks like.

“Thanks to this Government, crime is down, but we must always strive to do more, taking the right long-term decisions for the country and keeping the worst offenders locked up for longer. In the most despicable cases, these evil criminals must never be free on our streets again. Life needs to mean life.”

However the promise of longer sentences comes as the English prison system is under extreme strain, with ministers forced to act last month to free up space by letting out some less serious offenders up to 18 days early.

The UK Government has promised the largest prison building programme in 100 years, creating over 20,000 more places.

It will be the first state opening of Parliament by King Charles III, although he delivered the last Queen’s Speech of Elizabeth II’s reign in place of his mother in 2022.

Other measures expected in the King’s Speech include a law to mandate annual oil and gas licensing in the North Sea – a key dividing line with Labour.

The plan started to unravel yesterday after UK Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho admitted it might not cut household energy bills, although it could raise tax revenue for public services.

The UK Government said on Sunday the increase in North Sea exploration meant a “more robust energy mix will help to lower household bills in the long-term”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Tories can’t fix the country because they’ve already failed. With a legacy of stagnant growth, sky-rocketing mortgages, soaring prices and crumbling schools and hospitals, Rishi Sunak admits the country needs to change; but this government cannot deliver it.

“The choice facing the country is between a changed Labour Party, hungry to change the country through an exciting programme of long-term reform, and a Tory Party with only gimmicks, division, and more of the same.”

The Global Witness campaign warned UK refineries would be unable to process up to half of North Sea production by 2035 as the type of oil being extracted changed in character.

The organisation said sites currently processed mostly light oil into petrol and other products, but the remaining oil being pumped out the North Sea oil was increasingly heavy crude.

Alice Harrison, Fossil Fuel Campaign Lead at Global Witness said: “Rishi Sunak’s obsession with oil in today’s King’s Speech is a red herring. The UK can’t process the oil we produce, and fresh analysis today shows the situation is only getting worse. 

“Drilling and exporting more planet-wrecking fossil fuels will do nothing for the UK’s energy security or household bills, and will only line the pockets of a small handful of firms”.

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Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and Rishi Sunak


 

Rishi Sunak is expected to put a series of law and order measures that don’t include Scotland at the heart of his first King’s Speech today.

In a potential headache for the Scottish Tories at the general election, the Prime Minister will focus on crime and punishment south of the border as he tries to eat into Labour’s poll lead.

Mr Sunak’s first legislative programme, and his last before the election due by January 2025, will promise tougher sentences for killers, rapists and grooming gang leaders.

Killers convicted of the most horrific murders in England and Wales would expect whole life orders, meaning they will never be released.

Rapists and other serious sexual offenders would not be let out early from prison sentences.

Other measures include empowering police to enter a property without a warrant to seize stolen goods, such as phones, if there is reasonable proof a specific stolen item is inside.

That could mean using a device’s GPS tracking capability to lead officers to it.

Mr Sunak said: “I want everyone across the country to have the pride and peace of mind that comes with knowing your community, where you are raising your family and taking your children to school, is safe. That is my vision of what a better Britain looks like.

“Thanks to this Government, crime is down, but we must always strive to do more, taking the right long-term decisions for the country and keeping the worst offenders locked up for longer. In the most despicable cases, these evil criminals must never be free on our streets again. Life needs to mean life.”

However the promise of longer sentences comes as the English prison system is under extreme strain, with ministers forced to act last month to free up space by letting out some less serious offenders up to 18 days early.

The UK Government has promised the largest prison building programme in 100 years, creating over 20,000 more places.

It will be the first state opening of Parliament by King Charles III, although he delivered the last Queen’s Speech of Elizabeth II’s reign in place of his mother in 2022.

Other measures expected in the King’s Speech include a law to mandate annual oil and gas licensing in the North Sea – a key dividing line with Labour.

The plan started to unravel yesterday after UK Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho admitted it might not cut household energy bills, although it could raise tax revenue for public services.

The UK Government said on Sunday the increase in North Sea exploration meant a “more robust energy mix will help to lower household bills in the long-term”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Tories can’t fix the country because they’ve already failed. With a legacy of stagnant growth, sky-rocketing mortgages, soaring prices and crumbling schools and hospitals, Rishi Sunak admits the country needs to change; but this government cannot deliver it.

“The choice facing the country is between a changed Labour Party, hungry to change the country through an exciting programme of long-term reform, and a Tory Party with only gimmicks, division, and more of the same.”

The Global Witness campaign warned UK refineries would be unable to process up to half of North Sea production by 2035 as the type of oil being extracted changed in character.

The organisation said sites currently processed mostly light oil into petrol and other products, but the remaining oil being pumped out the North Sea oil was increasingly heavy crude.

Alice Harrison, Fossil Fuel Campaign Lead at Global Witness said: “Rishi Sunak’s obsession with oil in today’s King’s Speech is a red herring. The UK can’t process the oil we produce, and fresh analysis today shows the situation is only getting worse. 

“Drilling and exporting more planet-wrecking fossil fuels will do nothing for the UK’s energy security or household bills, and will only line the pockets of a small handful of firms”.