Shabana Mahmood to bring bill to Commons this week in attempt to overturn new requirement on pre-sentence reports

Ministers are planning to introduce a last-minute rule change this week to overturn sentencing guidelines which could have led to criminals getting different sentences depending on their age, sex and ethnicity.

Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, is planning to bring a bill to the Commons this week to overrule the guidelines, which are due to come into force in England and Wales on Tuesday.