Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Knives still out in Coalition sentencing fight

What will become of the other big coalition row that’s burning away alongside free schools? David Cameron was asked today about the plans to introduce mandatory sentences for repeat knife offences, and made some very supportive noises again, which the Tories signed up to Nick de Bois’ amendment to the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill think is a sign that they’ve made the right decision. He suggested that Nick Clegg could change his mind about it – and some have taken this as a sign that there’s a compromise on the cards.

The Conservatives tell me they are ‘looking carefully’ at de Bois’ amendments, but the Lib Dems say they haven’t heard of any compromise being offered and they will only accept a deal that has evidence behind it that it would cut knife crime.

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