Alex Chalk
The Reformer
Changing the system from inside it, principle turned into change.
Alex Chalk is the Lord Chancellor focused on reforming Britain's prisons and addressing the challenges within the justice system. This interview reveals his commitment to driving change while navigating the intricacies of political pressures and public safety.
“So I sometimes say that I'm a legal aid lawyer on a career break. I care passionately about legal aid, and you will never hear stuff that I had to hear, by the way, when I was a practitioner going off down to Snaresbrook Crown Court for a mention at £46.50 plus VAT, which is literally what you were paying, where we were getting maligned b…”
“Yeah, but I think you've got to be clear-eyed when you go into politics. My background was as a lawyer, as a barrister, I was enjoying that, and I wasn't one of those people that felt my life won't be complete if I go into politics.”
“Well, anyway, very, very expensive. And so what I was fascinated is people can be persuaded. And so I thought, so I came in and you tried to make your mark as a minister, and you try and say, listen, this is what I think we need to do. So that was the proposal. And there are a number of things that I want to do when I came in.”
“Prison because I wanted to see what was going on. And so, fundamentally, there were things which I found troubling, and I challenge anyone who is basically a compassionate human being not to feel troubled by it. So, you know, when people are remanded in custody, awaiting trial, they of course are innocent until they're proven guilty.”
The Rest Is Politics: Leading — 81. Alex Chalk, Lord Chancellor: How to fix Britain’s prisons
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