"The judiciary must not become an unaccountable bureaucracy shaping public policy"
GB News: 24th March 2025: Robert Courts KC writes for GB News on two-tier sentancing and what it tells us about the state of democarcy in the UK today
"...The Justice Secretary has written to the Sentencing Council, expressing concern over potential bias in the new guidelines, yet admits she has no authority to compel change. Why? Because real power isn’t with those we elect. Blair began the process of tying future Conservative governments ’hands by shifting power to unelected, unaccountable quangos...
...Judicial independence is crucial, but it must not create an unaccountable bureaucracy shaping public policy...
...Democratic legitimacy requires elected representatives to shape policy, yet decision-making is increasingly delegated to unelected, unaccountable bodies...
Consider the expansion of quangos and regulatory bodies across government. Quangos like the Environment Agency, Natural England, Ofcom, the independent education bodies and the FCA exert vast influence over policy, often beyond their remit. These bodies have seized more power with little oversight, sidelining Parliament.
When the public demands change, they’re told “nothing can be done” - not due to lack of will, but because power has been outsourced to the unelected..."