A Cabinet minister’s claim that rioters were not being released early to address chronic overcrowding in British prisons was immediately refuted.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said victims of the recent violence would not be included in the government’s release programme, but a government source later said he had “misspoken”.
Last month, ministers announced plans to release some prisoners early to free up space in prisons, blaming the previous Conservative government and overcrowding for the decision.
Asked if he could guarantee that the rioters would not be released early under this plan, Reynolds replied on GB News’ Camilla Tominey Show: “As far as I know, they will not be released.”
He added that “thanks to the difficult decisions taken by ministers in the new government, … the system has the capacity to deal with this disruption.”
However, sources later clarified that some of those involved in the unrest could be eligible for the program, depending on the nature of their conviction and the length of their sentence. Violent offenders are unlikely to be eligible for release.
Ministers say they were forced to act after only hundreds of places remained in the adult male section, with prisons routinely operating at over 99 per cent capacity since the start of 2023.
The early release programme is set to run for at least 18 months, but could last longer. Greg Smith, the Tory MP for Buckingham, has accused Labour of sending mixed messages on the issue: “You can’t say you’re going to crack down on rioters and then release them from prison after just five minutes.”
Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood had previously warned that the effects of the violent scenes on the country’s streets would be felt in the criminal justice system “for months and years to come”.
Mr Reynolds also urged the public to support local businesses affected by the unrest.
“If you care about these outstanding local businesses that are the heart of your community, please support them in the days and weeks ahead,” he said.
However, he denied he was concerned that the days of unrest, which were televised around the world, would affect foreign investment in the UK.
He said he was “not worried” about the issue, even though the Labour Party hoped that money from abroad could boost Britain’s growth.
As the violence escalated this week, Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves met with international investors during a three-day visit to the United States and Canada and told them: “The UK is open for business.”
Mr Reynolds said: “This is clearly a difficult thing that we have to grapple with as a country. However, I would say that the big investors that I speak to are more motivated by the political stability of the government, the certainty of the tax system, the changes in planning policy and a whole range of other pro-business measures that we are introducing.
“And of course, given our upcoming investment summit in October, we have a lot of interest in this, so I’m not worried about the impact.”
He added that while the cost of the riots was unclear, the impact on small businesses was “very significant.” He said he was trying to get insurers to promptly settle claims and to make businesses aware that they may be able to get assistance under the Riot Compensation Act if they were uninsured or under-insured.
