Ken Clarke and Theresa May appointed Justice and Home Secretaries
Lauren Higgs
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Ken Clarke has been appointed as the new Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, alongside Theresa May, who will take up the post of Home Secretary and Women's Minister in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition government.
Clarke used to hold the Conservative's business brief and May was the shadow work and pensions secretary.
Jackie Worrall, director of policy at charity Nacro, told CYP Now that Clarke and May must commit to reducing the use of youth custody and increasing early intervention for young people at risk of becoming involved in the penal system.
"It is possible that the coalition could be a positive thing," she said. "The Liberal Democrats were more committed than any other party to reducing the use of custody. Whether or not they will stick to that we will have to see."
But Worrall warned that both Clarke and May would have to get on top of their new briefs quickly.
"There are always concerns about where new ministers are coming from," she explained. "Neither of them have been involved in pre-election discussions about youth custody and they may not be willing to go along with what was said before. That would be very disappointing though."
