Minister sees makeshift weapons on prison tour

Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood was shown around HMP Bedford by governor Sarah Bott

Makeshift weapons including bladed toilet brushes and knives made from bedframes were shown to the justice secretary during a prison visit.

Shabana Mahmood was given a tour of HMP Bedford as the Labour government attempts to avert the "collapse" of the prisons system.

The Victorian jail was put into emergency measures in November 2023 after inspectors found high levels of violence, rat-infested wings and inadequate mental health services.

Ms Mahmood was also shown piles of contraband vapes and cigarette packs stuffed into walls during her visit.

It came before Ms Mahmood's announcement that thousands of prisoners would be released earlier than planned to avoid a "total breakdown of law and order".

At one point during the cabinet minister's tour, staff were seen holding a prisoner in their cell with a plastic shield as she walked by.

The trip was then followed up by Ms Mahmood’s press conference at HMP Five Wells, in Northamptonshire.

There, she warned without immediate action to address overcrowding, prisons would run out of space within weeks.

Ms Mahmood laid the blame for the prisons crisis with the previous government.

Figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Friday showed the adult male prison population stood at 83,755.

The total "usable operational capacity" was 84,463, meaning 708 spaces were available.