Labour would let prisoners out early too - Starmer
Starmer: Early prison release to carry on 'in all likelihood'
- Published
Sir Keir Starmer has said that a Labour government would "in all likelihood" need to continue the early release of prisoners due to overcrowding in jails.
The Labour leader accused the Conservative government of creating a prisons crisis by not building enough new prisons.
The prison population has ballooned in recent decades as a result of tougher sentences and court backlogs.
Speaking to BBC political editor Chris Mason, Sir Keir said he could not "magic up a new prison on Friday morning" if elected as prime minister this week.
Under a policy introduced last October, some less serious offenders could be released up to 18 days early, with this extended to 70 days in May.
Asked whether he would also release prisoners early, Sir Keir said: "In all likelihood, we will have to continue with that."
Sir Keir told the BBC, in an interview at Hucknall Town football club in Nottinghamshire: "I have to say it is shocking to have to inherit a problem like that.
"That our criminal justice system has gotten to a point where we're releasing prisoners who should be in prison early and giving instructions to the police not to arrest in certain cases.
"That is how broken the system is. We have to pick that up and start the fix - not just a fix, but to renew and take forward."
The government has insisted only "lower-level offenders" can be released early and they are subject to strict supervision and conditions such as tagging and curfews.
Anyone convicted of a sexual, terrorist or serious violent offence is exempt from early release.
The Conservatives say they have delivered 6,000 new prison places as part of "the largest expansion of the prison estate since the Victorian era".
Labour's manifesto sets out plans to designate prisons as sites of "national importance" on public safety grounds - placing the power to green-light planning applications solely in ministers' hands.
The party said the policy would help it create the 20,000 prison places the Conservative Party has promised by the mid-2020s but not yet delivered.
The Conservatives' manifesto promises to build four new prisons which it says will create 20,000 new places by 2030, through scrapping legacy EU rules to streamline planning.
Seperately, Sir Keir addressed Conservative attacks after he said he after would try not to work after 18:00 BST on Fridays to spend time with his wife and children.
Rishi Sunak took a swipe at the Labour leader, telling reporters: "I haven't finished at six ever."
Sir Keir explained that his wife is from a Jewish family, and they often use Friday evenings "for family prayers".
"Not every Friday but not infrequently. That doesn’t mean I’ve never had to work on a Friday," Sir Keir said.
Friday night Shabbat dinners are important in the Jewish faith and Sir Keir has talked about making sure his children are aware of their heritage.
“I find this whole attack laughably pathetic," Sir Keir added.
In a wide-ranging interview, Sir Keir vowed to "change the mindset" of government if Labour wins the upcoming general election.
Sir Keir emphasised a shift towards a "politics of service," contrasting with what he described as "self-entitlement" under Conservative leadership.
He said: "In the last 14 years, we had partygate with the rules that everybody else was following being broken by Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
"We had Covid contracts at taxpayers' expense handed out to mates contracts.
"And more recently, you've had the gambling scandal in this election - that all has to end we return politics to service."
Sir Keir refused to put to bed speculation he would reshuffle his top-team if he becomes prime minister.
Asked if David Lammy would be his foreign secretary in a Labour government, Sir Keir said: "I'm not naming a cabinet two days before the election, which isn't won."
But he added each of his shadow cabinet have been "working now for years on what needs to change how it needs to change how it needs to fit together" so Labour can deliver a "purpose driven" government.
Sir Keir's comments come as he sought to counter Conservative warnings of a "supermajority" giving Labour "unchecked power".
With just days until polling, Sir Keir said a big majority would be "better for the country", allowing Labour to reform the planning system and improve the economy.