Prisoner Early Release Scheme

Lord Pannick Excerpts

Thursday 23rd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

To be very clear, it is only right that the new Prime Minister has a look across the board at the Government’s policies. Nobody in your Lordships’ House will be in any doubt about the horrific murder of PC Andrew Harper. It is only right that the Prime Minister, along with the Lord Chancellor, looks at the scheme in place and its operation. It is the case that we faced a prison system on its knees, literally days from collapse—it was practically at 100% just before we came into office. That is why we not only passed the Sentencing Bill, so that in the long term we can reduce the demand for prison places by several thousand, but are building prison places at a rate that we have not seen since Labour was last in government. That is important. This is not the time be making political attacks. It is time to make sure that we get this policy right.

[Lord Pannick (CB)]

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to listen to the Minister. Can I say how sorry I am that the noble Baroness, Lady Levitt, is no longer a Minister in this Government? She displayed conspicuous ability, responsiveness to noble Lords who raised points and manifest integrity. It is a great shame that those qualities are not sufficient for the new Prime Minister; I very much regret that.

In relation to the early release scheme, will the Minister explain why prison numbers cannot be adequately reduced by the early release of those who are not subject to the most severe sentences—for example, those who are serving 10 years or less?

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. I was remiss in not doing so earlier, but I join him in paying tribute to my colleague, my noble friend Lady Levitt, and, indeed, to my noble friend Lord Timpson, for all the hard work that they have done, particularly in the case of Lord Timpson on reforming not just the prison system but the probation system. We are investing a record amount of £700 million in the reform of the Probation Service and the technology it uses. That is just as important as dealing with those who we deem fit for release.

When we talk about releasing people who are on very short sentences, I understood that the Sentencing Act sought to cut the cycle of crime, whereby people went into prison for short sentences and all that did was teach them how to become better criminals, not better people. We need to make sure that, if people go to prison, they are in there for long enough and that it does a proper job of rehabilitation, making sure that, if they are on drugs or have an alcohol problem, that is centred. The main thing that prison should do is not only protect the public but cut the reoffending rates.