‘Total failure!’ Reform slams Labour’s ‘lack of common sense’ over early prisoner release.l
The Justice Secretary has insisted there won’t be a repeat of the mistaken freeing of prisoners seen during the last early set of releases.
Richard Tice has blasted Labour’s plan (Image: Getty)
Reform UK MPs have slammed the government’s “total failure” on law and order, as it announces a further 1,100 early prisoner releases.
With just over 2,000 free spaces left in Britain’s prison estate, the Government fears they will once again hit critical capacity by July.
Today, Justice Secretary announced a review of sentencing, with it understood the Government may be considering replacing prison sentences for low-level criminals with house arrest.
She is said to be interested in Florida’s methods of tackling low-level offending, such as using electronic tags and the creation of “prison outside prison”.
However Reform UK has rounded on the latest news, condemning the further early releases as “pathetic”.
Over 1,000 more prisoners will get early release (Image: Getty)
This morning the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice described the news as “shameful”.
He blasted: “Shameful early release of 1,000+ nasty criminals today.”
“Totally unnecessary – just deport 10,000 foreign criminals blocking up our prisons.
“Common sense – not very common in Labour.”
Fellow Reform MP Rupert Lowe agreed, pointing out there will be 1,100 prisoners released early today “all whilst 10,435 foreign criminals sit in our prisons”.
“A total failure of the British establishment to develop any sort of long term strategy. It is pathetic. Deport foreign criminals, and BUILD more prisons.”
Rupert Lowe also tore into the government’s plan (Image: Getty)
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This morning the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood insisted there will not be a repeat of the mistakes seen during Labour’s previous early prisoner release, in which 37 individuals were wrongly freed.
She said: “That mistake won’t happen again. If I could just explain that that was not something even I could have anticipated when we were looking at, operationally how to design this scheme.”
“Those 37 individuals were charged and sentenced against an older act of parliament, rather than the newer legislation which came in in 2020, which was excluded from the emergency release measures.
“That problem, as soon as we were made aware of it, we took action. That problem won’t occur again. All 37 of those individuals were returned to custody.”
Ms Mahmood has appointed former Tory Justice Secretary David Gauke to lead her review of prison sentencing.
