Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood has used an interview with The Times to lay the groundwork for thousands more serious criminals to be released early – after serving just 30% of their sentence. She warned Britain now faces the “horrible reality” of mass early releases to avoid the “total and complete collapse” of the justice system. She’ll officially announce the bombshell after ex-Tory-turned-Labour sentencing tsar David Gauke publishes his soft-on-crime sentencing review…
Labour has already released thousands of lags at the 40% mark under Starmer’s early release scheme. Dozens of prisoners were freed by mistake, including domestic abusers. One even killed a man on the same day he was let out…
Mahmood admitted sending fewer criminals to prison would be “very difficult” for Labour MPs under pressure from Reform, and that these “very difficult decisions” clash with her own principles of “law-and-order Labour.” The length of suspended sentences, currently capped at two years, will also be extended meaning more convicts will avoid jail altogether. Labour’s hellscape…
Burnham confirms he spoke to Trump last night about drilling in the North Sea:
“I indicated in the phone call that we had a week last Monday that I would take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea, and that is my intention as we go forward from here. There is a resource there. When people are struggling, we can’t ignore that. Hence, me indicating that to the president…”