Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has apologised after being heard jokingly calling a Cabinet colleague "the enemy" in reference to the early prisoner release scheme.
A hot mic clip showed him ribbing new Justice Secretary Alex Norris, saying he "wants to let them all out". He later said there was no ill intent behind the remark, which was seized on by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
Exchange caught on video
The exchange happened when Mr Norris approached Mr Streeting and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Defence Secretary Mr Streeting was heard in the video, captured by The Metro, saying: "You know he's the enemy now."
Ms Mahmood responded: "No he's not." The Defence Secretary continued: "He wants to let them all out."
Apology and reaction
Mr Streeting posted on X after the video emerged: "I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new Justice Secretary - it was a reference to an old May/Clarke joke. But I appreciate these are very serious issues and am sorry for any offence inadvertently caused by this moment of levity."
Home Secretary Ms Mahmood added: "I think everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new Lord Chancellor - a role I once filled and which comes with immense challenges thanks to the vandalism inflicted on our justice system by the last Conservative government. But I appreciate this is an extremely serious issue and do not want anyone to mistake this moment of levity for a lack of serious intent."
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, asked about the exchange on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, said: "So Wes has apologised for those remarks. I know Wes well. I know Shabana and Alex Norris very well too. And I know that those remarks don't reflect the seriousness with which all of them will approach matters relating to public safety and the prison system. What I do know, having served with Shabana as a justice minister in the summer of 2024, was that we were in days of there being less than 100 prison spaces available. And so difficult but necessary decisions had to be taken in order for the criminal justice system to be able to continue functioning, because we were in danger of a situation where the courts couldn't sentence because there weren't prison places available, and police wouldn't have been able to make arrests."
Policy details and Tory criticism
Changes in the Sentencing Act mean that prisoners on standard determined sentences can be released after serving a third of their term. For violent or sexual offences, the changes mean they are released at the halfway point. All released prisoners are subject to monitoring including tagging.
After the clip was published, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch wrote: "While Andy Burnham's cabinet are joking about letting criminals out of prison early, Conservatives are listening to victims and will continue to fight this disgusting policy."
