Andy Burnham’s “pausing” of the Starmer government’s prisoner release scheme and the resignation of its architect, James Timpson, are disasters. They indicate a Downing Street that puts populism ahead of policy. England and Wales’s prisons are a total disgrace. Timpson was the first justice minister in 15 years prepared to handle them. Now he has gone. Although he said it had been an “honour” to serve in the government, it is reasonable to assume he resigned in disgust.

In August 2024, the prison population in England and Wales hit a record high. The following March, a savage report from the public accounts committee warned that prisons, already full to bursting, could not cope with such numbers and would overflow by the start of 2026.

The early release of 16,000 prisoners in the last three months of 2024 eased pressure on the system, but now another crisis is forecast for this November. Under Timpson’s law passed in January, a surge in electronic tagging was being frantically prepared for another bout of early releases in September. But pressure from probation unions, parliamentary opponents and victim groups, backed by the rightwing press, has persuaded Burnham to call a halt. Chaos beckons.

Victims of crime may deserve sympathy and support, but they should not dictate justice policy. Kemi Badenoch, meanwhile, should not do anything but apologise for her........

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