Tom Tugendhat’s criminal blunder

It’s fair to say that the punishment handed out to Huw Edwards has not gone down well. The disgraced BBC newsman was only given a suspended six-month sentence for child abuse image offences, meaning he avoids jail. He will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years, and undergo rehabilitation. There has been a fierce backlash at the perceived leniency of the sentence.

In such circumstances, it was only a matter of time before someone tried to make political capital out of the trial. Tory leadership contender Tom Tugendhat has done just that, taking it upon himself to demand a review of this case. In a letter to the Attorney General, posted on his Twitter/X account, he intones gravely that, as the Shadow Security Minister, he believes that ‘the sentence handed down to Mr Edwards appears to be inconsistent with the guidelines set forth by the Sentencing Council for such offences.