“One advantage of being a non-affiliated peer, with no party whip, is that I can choose which bills I follow. It makes for a varied political experience, but it can mean being an isolated voice, raising issues not usually considered within the Westminster bubble.
More gratifying is when something is so important it allows peers across parties to unite. That was the case with amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill, relating to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP). This sentencing regime became so discredited it was abolished in 2012. Yet thousands of IPP prisoners still languish in prison, sometimes decades beyond their original tariff, while others – released on unusually stringent licences – are forced to jump through almost impossible hoops, so are often recalled…”
Read the full article on The House.