Tories to scrap Sentencing Council if they win next election as Robert Jenrick will outline plans to fight back against 'two-tier nightmare'

He will tell the Conference in Manchester: "The Sentencing Council is not fit for purpose.

"Never again can the British people face the prospect of two-tier justice."

The council, responsible for setting guidelines on sentencing, found itself plunged into chaos earlier this year.

Guidance was issued recommending judges take into account factors such as ethnicity or gender when deciding whether to ask for a pre-sentence report.

Mr Jenrick and others said the guidance would result in people facing a lesser punishment on the basis of their ethnicity.

The proposal was withdrawn and the Government has introduced legislation to require any new guidance to be approved by ministers.

Academic evidence suggests there is some disparity in sentencing, with offenders from ethnic minorities more likely than white offenders to be imprisoned for certain offences, even when controlling for legal factors such as guilty pleas or previous convictions.

Mr Jenrick, the MP for Newark, is expected to say: "We are slipping into a two-tier nightmare under Keir Starmer.

"All too frequently the law is not applied equally.

"No more, every single person in this country must be treated exactly the same, regardless of their background."

Mr Jenrick will also accuse the Sentencing Council of "watering down" sentences by recommending ranges of jail terms that do not go up to the maximum allowed by Parliament.

A Labour Party spokesman accused the Tories of "yet more rank hypocrisy", adding: "The Conservatives backed the proposed changes to pre-sentencing reports when they were announced and did nothing to stop them when they were in government.

"Labour took action the moment we uncovered their mistake.

"This is just another cynical gimmick from Jenrick, a man who constantly undermines the independence of the judiciary just to further his own career."

Mr Jenrick signalled he would take aim at Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer KC in his speech.

"I’m going to talk about my particular bete noire, the attorney general," he said on Monday during a fringe event.

The speech comes on the third day of a conference in which the party has been determined to demonstrate unity despite its polling difficulties and questions about Kemi Badenoch’s leadership.

The former leadership contender has been insistent that he is backing Mrs Badenoch.

Asked during a fringe event on Monday whether he would stand for the party leadership should there be a vacancy, he said: “There isn’t a vacancy and I don’t expect there will be.

"My expectation is that Kemi will lead this party into the next general election."

Meanwhile, Mr Jenrick and Gawain Towler, a close ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, appeared to leave the door open for a Tory-Reform merger at the next General Election.

Mr Towler, a former Director of Communications for Reform UK, said Mr Jenrick would not want to lead "a rump party".

"This is not a man who's gonna spend his time on trampolines and going down water flumes as a third-party leader," he said on the PopConversation podcast, in a dig at Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey.

Mr Towler continued: "I could possibly see him bringing a small handful over with him, but it could work; there are all sorts of ways."