Labour unveil plans to tackle collapsing prisons as Starmer blasts ‘unforgivable’ overcrowding crisis - live

The justice secretary has unveiled new plans to tackle the overcrowding crisis that has engulfed jails across the country.

In a speech at HMP Five Wells in Northamptonshire, Shabana Mahmood said failingto ease pressure on prisons could cause a “total breakdown of law and order”.

Thousands of prisoners are to be released earlier than planned as the government attempts to avert the “collapse” of the prisons system.

The plans would see a temporary reduction in the proportion of their sentence many prisoners must serve in jail from 50 per cent to 44 per cent.

This would not apply to violent offenders serving more than four years, sex offenders or those in prison for crimes connected to domestic abuse.

The change is expected to come into force in September, with the Justice Secretary also announcing the recruitment of 1,000 additional trainee probation officers by March.

It comes as Nigel Farage is set to return to GB News next week after being elected as an MP on his eighth attempt, the channel has confirmed.

Ofcom repeatedly found that the broadcaster breached rules on impartiality, which allow politicians to present current affairs programmes but not act as newsreaders.

Nigel Farage is set to return to GB News next week after being elected as an MP on his eighth attempt, the channel has confirmed.

The Reform UK leader, 60, formally took his seat in the House of Commons as the representative for the Essex seaside constituency of Clacton after he was sworn in on Thursday.

He cancelled his GB News show, which he hosted Monday to Thursday each week, in May to free up time to help with the general election campaigning for Reform UK.

The Reform UK leader will return to the channel next week and present a show three times a week