UK politics stay: jail inhabitants in England and Wales reaches new excessive

Former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick appeared on the media this morning, and mentioned that not too long ago visiting prisons for the primary time he felt involved about his personal private safety.

He instructed listeners of the BBC At present programme:

I’ve been in numerous prisons, what I’ve seen in some I’ve visited not too long ago is for the primary time I’ve felt involved for my very own private safety – they’re harmful and horrifying locations, and employees are struggling to maintain management.

He mentioned he didn’t suppose the federal government had any various to its deliberate early launch scheme, however it got here with issues. PA Media quotes him saying:

That can take away the rapid strain, I don’t suppose the federal government had any various within the short-term aside from to do these releases.

However it’s a bit like squeezing a balloon – you launch the strain in a single place however the bulge goes elsewhere – and the actual downside now could be, to start with, a few of these launched will re-offend for sure, and a few of these launched, numerous these launched, I worry will find yourself homeless as a result of there merely isn’t the lodging for them.

A authorities minister has refused to disclaim studies that officers are sending criminals convicted in England and Wales to Estonia to serve their jail sentences.

The Each day Telegraph reported that the Ministry of Justice was investigating “all viable options” to extend capability after the Baltic state mentioned it had supplied to lease out spare capability to different international locations.

Angela Eagle, a minister within the Residence Workplace, didn’t remark immediately when requested on Sky Information whether or not the federal government was contemplating renting cells for British prisoners in Estonia because it was “not directly my ministerial responsibility”.

She mentioned: “I’m sure that colleagues are considering all sorts of actions to deal with the crisis that we’ve been left by the previous government in prison places and the prison service, and the criminal justice system generally.”

She added: “The last government closed loads of prison places and didn’t replace any of them, so I think that colleagues in the MoJ will be considering anything that they can to alleviate the problem.

“What we cannot have is people who are convicted of perhaps violent or serious crimes not being able to be in jail.”

Learn extra right here: Minister gained’t deny UK authorities might lease jail house in Estonia

The jail inhabitants has reached a brand new file excessive, PA Media studies. Official figures confirmed there have been 88,521 folks imprisoned on Friday, 171 greater than the earlier file set on the finish of final week.

The jail inhabitants has risen by 1,025 folks over the previous 4 weeks and now stands at its highest stage since weekly inhabitants information was first revealed in 2011.

The newest figures come days earlier than the federal government’s momentary early launch scheme is because of come into impact on 10 September.

Jessica Elgot

Our deputy political editor Jessica Elgot has this piece at the moment suggesting there will probably be a diminished presence from the left of the Labour celebration at this yr’s convention:

Senior leftwing Labour figures have mentioned the left may have a drastically diminished presence at this yr’s celebration convention.

The convention in Liverpool is more likely to be dominated by delegates from the celebration’s centrist wing, although there will probably be strikes to drive votes on points such because the two-child profit cap and the winter gas allowance.

Momentum and different leftwing grassroots teams are additionally combating to avoid wasting their final remaining seats on the celebration’s governing physique, which now has a major majority for the centrist faction, organised by Labour to Win.

One Corbyn-era shadow cupboard minister mentioned members who have been dissatisfied with Keir Starmer’s management – particularly his insurance policies in direction of parliamentary alternatives and celebration self-discipline – would in all probability steer clear this yr. “I think future years to come there will be more space to put pressure on from the left,” they mentioned.

Seven distinguished leftwing MPs, together with the previous shadow chancellor John McDonnell and the previous shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon, are suspended from the Labour whip for rebelling on an modification to abolish the two-child profit restrict.

A Momentum spokesperson mentioned there have been nonetheless areas the place leftwing members can be energetic:

Whereas the stability of delegates at convention is more likely to be beneficial to Starmer, the Labour celebration is beset with main inside disagreements between nearly all of members and commerce unionists – who help commonsense progressive insurance policies such because the scrapping of the two-child profit cap and wish to see an finish to austerity insurance policies after 14 years of Tory misrule – and a small grouping across the management, who stay obsessively centered on management freakery and are completely happy to have financial coverage dictated by the Treasury.

The World Reworked, the leftwing political competition that has acted as a fringe occasion to the convention for the previous eight years, won’t return to the convention in Liverpool this yr.

Learn extra from Jessica Elgot right here: Left’s presence at Labour convention will probably be diminished, say leftwing figures

Robert Jenrick, the Conservative former immigration minister and candidate for the celebration’s management, has accused the brand new Labour authorities of getting “surrendered to the smuggling gangs”.

Jenrick, whose celebration whereas in authorities oversaw file numbers of individuals crossing the English Channel as a way to search asylum, instructed Sky Information “We have seen thousands of people crossing the Channel illegally since Labour came to power. They got rid of the one credible deterrent, which was the Rwanda policy.”

Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda deportation coverage by no means reached the statute books, and never a single asylum seeker was forcibly deported there.

Talking about residence secretary Yvette Cooper’s deliberate assembly at the moment on small boat Channel crossings, Jenrick mentioned:

Yvette Cooper will meet the Nationwide Crime Company and police chiefs at the moment, they usually’ll inform her what they instructed me once I was the minister, which is that though it’s vital that we try this work, it’s not enough. It’s a must to have a deterrent. Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have surrendered to the smuggling gangs.

Jenrick claimed that scrapping the failed Rwanda scheme had made it “open season” for folks smugglers to try to maneuver asylum seekers throughout the English Channel.

Talking in parliament on Wednesday, prime minister Keir Starmer instructed MPs:

In contrast to the Conservative celebration, we won’t waste cash on gimmicks. That’s the reason, inside days, we ended the Rwanda scheme and introduced the launch of the border safety drive, and we’ve got been getting ready laws to introduce counter-terrorism powers to deal with gangs. Within the first two months, we’ve got eliminated on planes greater than 400 individuals who had no proper to be right here. Evaluate that with the 4 volunteers despatched to Rwanda, which price £700m. This can be a authorities of service, not a authorities of gimmicks.

The previous head of the British Border Drive, Tony Smith, has mentioned that tackling people-smuggles utilizing the English Channel as a route was like taking part in “Whac-A-Mole”.

He mentioned {that a} concerted effort was wanted in Europe and within the international locations organising the commerce, telling listeners of the BBC At present programme:

This can be a very profitable enterprise for the smugglers. Placing a smuggling gang out of enterprise, there’s often one other one ready within the wings as a result of the cash is there. It’s a bit like Whac-A-Mole, actually. So that you do want a really concerted worldwide try, each in Europe and past.

Smith left the British Border Drive position in 2013.

Angela Eagle has mentioned that the federal government will announce the appointment of the top of its new border safety command “very shortly”.

The much-touted coverage aiming to chop folks crossing the English Channel to hunt asylum within the UK has been on the centre of the brand new Labour authorities’s promise to smash people-smuggling gangs.

Talking on Sky Information, Eagle mentioned:

We’re very shut to creating that appointment. It’s a must to undergo sure processes to ensure you get the appropriate particular person, give folks time to use. You’ll be able to’t wave a magic wand. There’ll be bulletins about that very shortly.

The border safety minister wouldn’t be drawn on whether or not it might be as quickly as subsequent week.

Border safety minister Angela Eagle has mentioned that tackling prison folks smuggling gangs will probably be “difficult” and “complex” to do, however that ought to not cease the federal government trying to deal with it.

Talking on the BBC Radio 4 At present programme she mentioned “I think that any state has got to ensure that criminal gangs who are profiting off human misery are tackled, disrupted, dealt with, put out of business – and if you have to put one out of business and another springs up, you have to spend your time having a go at that one as well.”

She continued “Just because something is very, very difficult to do, complex to do – something that you have to do by cooperation across borders, by a lot of communication along these supply chains of misery and exploitation – that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be doing it, and that is what today’s summit is about, really.”

Rajeev Syal

Here’s a snippet from Rajeev Syal’s report on at the moment’s forthcoming summit on English Channel crossings:

Yvette Cooper will chair a summit geared toward apprehending prison gangs concerned in smuggling folks throughout the Channel in small boats, because the Residence Workplace disclosed that MI5 officers had been given a key position in operations.

Intelligence officers, Border Drive employees and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) representatives will probably be current on the assembly on Friday on the Nationwide Crime Company’s headquarters.

Cooper, the house secretary, will probably be joined by David Lammy, the international secretary, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, and Richard Hermer, the lawyer common.

On Tuesday 12 folks died trying the perilous journey throughout one of many world’s busiest delivery routes. One other 257 folks crossed the Channel in small boats on Wednesday.

Cooper mentioned: “Women and children were packed into an unsafe boat which literally collapsed in the water this week. At least 12 people were killed as part of this evil trade.”

Learn extra right here: Yvette Cooper to chair summit on tackling Channel smuggling gangs

Good morning, and welcome to our stay protection of UK politics for Friday. Not too long ago appointed residence secretary Yvette Cooper will chair a summit of senior ministers and members of the intelligence companies and the Nationwide Crime Company geared toward tackling prison gangs concerned in smuggling folks over the English Channel in small boats. Extra of that in a second, however listed here are your headlines …

What else is within the diary for at the moment? Not a lot. The Lords are sitting, however the Commons isn’t, and there may be nothing scheduled in Holyrood, Stormont or the Senedd. It’s Martin Belam with you right here. You may get in contact with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com. I discover it useful when you gently level out typos, errors or omissions you see.