One prisoner let out today under the government’s early release scheme celebrated by saying “big up Keir Starmer”.
But Number 10 did not see the funny side of the situation – with the prime minister’s spokesperson saying Sir Keir “shares the public’s anger” over the matter.
Today is the second time the Labour government has released prisoners early in a bid to ease pressure on the justice system.
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Around 1,100 inmates will be set free on licence after serving 40% of their sentence, rather than the customary 50%.
It includes people on initial sentences of more than five years – but excludes those convicted of serious violence, sex crimes and terrorism.
Mistakes with the last tranche of early releases that saw 37 people erroneously let out “won’t happen again”, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told Sky News.
Among those to be let out today was Daniel Dowling-Brooks.
The 29-year-old was given a seven-year term for the kidnap and grievous bodily harm of someone who owed his friend money. His release was brought forward by seven weeks.
After being let out, Dowling-Brooks told journalists “big up Keir Starmer” while celebrating with friends and family, in front of a Bentley and Mercedes G-wagon – both of which cost more than £100,000.
He said the first thing he would do was “go to McDonalds, go to my hostel and follow all the rules”.
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Shabana Mahmood arrives 10 Downing Street. Pic: Reuters
Can’t build your way out’
Ms Mahmood delivered a statement on the government’s plans in the House of Commons.
She repeated her attack on the previous administration for leaving prisons “on the verge of collapse”.
Ms Mahmood claimed Rishi Sunak knew he had to act – and was begged to by her predecessor Alex Chalk – “but instead he called a general election”.
With prisons in crisis, ministers have no choice but to take risks
When the Labour government was elected back in July, they were immediately faced with a prisons crisis.
With cells full and a summer of riots they were left with few options and chose to release some prisoners early.
Three months on and they can now set out a more strategic, long-term plan to take the pressure off the strained prison estate.
And so far it seems that although it is more considered, it still amounts to reducing the UK’s prison population rather than building more detention facilities – an admission that prison doesn’t always work.
David Gauke, the former Conservative justice secretary, who will lead a review on the issue, is likely to say short prison sentences should be abolished.
Until that review takes effect in July 2026 there will be a series of interim measures that are essentially “early release” in all but name.
Firstly, extending the maximum length of home detentions from 6 to 12 months will mean fewer people behind bars.
Further tweaks could see low risk offenders released without a parole board hearing.
And the Justice department will work with the Home Office to try to deport as many of the 10,000 foreign inmates in UK jails as they can.
It’s a significant change in direction and one that many who work in the sector have long been calling for.
But bringing down prison numbers is always a political risk, as the recent images of offenders drinking champagne and thanking the prime minister for their freedom have shown.
What today has revealed, is that it’s a risk this government is determined to take.
She added that, because of this, Labour had “no choice” but to allow prisons to release inmates early.
Setting out her “long-term plan” for prisons, Ms Mahmood says this “must begin by building more prisons” – while criticising the Tories for their record.
“We cannot build our way out of this problem,” she said.
She noted that prison populations grow by around 4,500 every year.
“To build enough prisons to meet this demand, we would have to build the equivalent of HMP Birmingham four and a half times over every single year.”
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The justice secretary also announced to the Commons a review into sentencing to ensure the UK is never again in a position “where we have more prisoners than we have space in our prisons”.
She said the UK “must be smarter about who receives a prison sentence” – but for “dangerous offenders, prison will always remain the answer”.