(1)No person shall suffer death for murder, and a person convicted of murder shall, subject to section 206(1) of this Act, be sentenced to imprisonment for life.
(2)On sentencing any person convicted of murder to imprisonment for life the High Court may at the same time declare the period which it recommends to the Secretary of State as the minimum period which in its view should elapse before the Secretary of State orders the release of that person on licence under section 61 of the [1967 c. 80.] Criminal Justice Act 1967.
(3)For the purpose of any proceedings on or subsequent to a person's trial on a charge of capital murder, that charge and any plea or finding of guilty of capital murder shall be treated as being or having been a charge, or a plea or finding of guilty, of murder only; and if on 9th November 1965 a person was under sentence of death for murder, the sentence shall be treated as having been a sentence of imprisonment for life.