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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

The purpose of our provisions is to amend and clarify for the better the law on self-defence. This is a matter of considerable public concern. The House will know of my experiences on four separate occasions of seeking to apprehend someone—there was one burglar and three street robbers. Anyone who has been involved in such circumstances, or who knows of someone who has, will know that on such occasions there is no time to make a careful, fine judgment about the balance of the law. One does these things instinctively. Where people act reasonably, in good faith, the law should clearly be on their side. I hope and believe that there is general support for new clause 6. I know that there will be a debate about the proposed changes involving something being deemed wholly ““disproportionate””, but I am afraid that we cannot accept them.