Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rebuked cabinet ministers Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood after they were caught on microphone joking about releasing prisoners early. Defence Secretary Streeting was heard telling Home Secretary Mahmood that new Justice Secretary Alex Norris "wants to let them all out", a remark he later said referenced a joke between Theresa May and Kenneth Clarke. Both ministers apologised, with Mahmood calling the early release scheme an extremely serious issue.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the pair of making light of government policy. Victims of crime accused the ministers of making cheap jokes, while victims' commissioner Claire Waxman wrote to Burnham and Norris urging reconsideration of the scheme.
The early release scheme was announced in 2024 to ease prison overcrowding. Under the new Sentencing Act taking effect in September 2026, around 6,000 criminals are set to be released early, with some offenders freed after serving a third of their sentences.