Ministers criticise ‘two-tier’ sentencing changes in England and Wales

Sentencing Council plans to make offenders' ethnic backgrounds a greater factor in deciding whether to jail them

Ministers have criticised plans to make the ethnic background of offenders a greater factor in determining whether to jail them, saying they amounted to a two-tier system" of justice.

Sarah Jones, the industry minister, said the government was opposed to guidance published on Wednesday by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, which is an independent arm's-length body.