Rising in the House yesterday, Andrew Rosindell M.P. defended the basic principle upon which our justice system rests - that of innocence until proven guilty.
The exchange was as follows:
Does the Secretary of State for Justice agree that in England and across the United Kingdom, the ancient principle of innocent until proven guilty should be upheld and restored, and that the punishment should never be the process?
Andrew Rosindell M.P.
I thank my hon. Friend for his question. I was asked about my priorities when I was appointed to this role, and I said that the guilty should be convicted, that the innocent should walk free and that the public should be protected. It is very important that people who are accused of an offence have confidence that the process will be prompt and humane. Ultimately, the British people are fair minded. They want people to be rightfully convicted, but they also want the innocent to walk free.
The Rt Hon. Alex Chalk K.C., M.P., Secretary of State for Justice, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
