The annual judges' dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House last week came against a backdrop of media attacks on judges for sentencing and attempts to portray ministers and the judiciary as being at war. The Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), Lord Phillips, was keen to stress the latter was a 'false picture'. But he could not resist one little quip at the executive's expense. 'It takes a lot of study to master the intricacies of sentencing today, which can result in criticisms of sentences by those who have not conducted such study being wide of the mark,' the LCJ said. 'I have asked Lord Justice Keene, who chairs the Judicial Studies Board, whether he can lay on a sentencing induction course for home secretaries. He is considering this, but has warned me that the frequency of such courses would have resource implications.'