On Tuesday, justice secretary Michael Gove said his Christian faith informs his prison policies, telling critics, ‘I believe in redemption’. He was rejecting criticism from Philip Davies, who sits on the justice committee. ‘It's because I’m a Conservative I believe in the rule of law as the foundation stone of our civilisation. It's because I'm a Conservative I believe that evil must be punished. But it's because I'm a Conservative and a Christian that I believe in redemption. The purpose of our prison system is to keep people safe by making people better.’ Since May he has removed the ban on prisoners receiving books and also scrapped the criminal courts charge. He has also ditched a ministry of justice contract that would have meant the UK government was involved in constructing Saudi Arabian prisons.