At its heart, journalism is about accountability. That means uncovering deceit or neglect in government, shining a light on dark corners of the business world and highlighting the unjust application of the law. Tristan Kirk, the Evening Standard’s courts correspondent, has done more than most to uphold these values.
Now Kirk has won the Paul Foot Award 2024, given for investigative or campaigning journalism, over his exposés into the failings of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP). Dubbed a “conveyor belt of justice”, SJP is a secretive court process which empowers magistrates to hand down convictions for minor crimes behind closed doors, away from the scrutiny that comes with open court proceedings.
Kirk’s reporting has revealed extraordinary cases where the justice system is failing vulnerable people, including dementia patients being criminalised over unpaid car bills and mentally ill people accused of not paying their TV licence. Magistrates themselves accept the system is broken and in dire need of an overhaul, while the Justice Secretary has promised changes. Yet neither the Tory nor Lib Dem manifestos, published this week, contains a reference to the procedure. Whoever wins the next election must commit to ending this system of justice not worthy of the name.
Tory tribulations
A mere three weeks into an election the PM called at a time of his own choosing, the Conservatives appear to have — rhetorically at least — given up. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps today urged voters not to support the Tories on the basis of their record, but to deny Labour a “super-majority”.
Yet his comments are not entirely misplaced. With Reform rising in the polls, the Lib Dems enjoying an eye-caching campaign and Labour thus far avoiding own goals, one survey suggested the Tories could finish with just 57 MPs. While such a collapse remains a lower probability event, the party needs to get its core voters out, or at least convince defectors to stay at home. Little wonder morale among Tory candidates is at rock bottom.
Manchester Disunited
To the dismay of many fans and delight of its rivals, Erik ten Hag is set to remain in post at Manchester United. Given the three-week review — which involved Ineos officials scouring the globe for alternatives — it is not necessarily a ringing endorsement of the Dutchman, whose greatest asset may simply have been that there was no other candidate who convinced.
After dragging the process out for the best part of a month, the United hierarchy have succeeded only in humiliating and thereby further weakening their manager. No doubt, a poor start to the season and calls for heads to roll will reach fever pitch.
