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Leader Live
3 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Give prison officers the lethal weapons ‘they need', Jenrick says
The Conservatives said secure armouries should be introduced at maximum security jails to be used as a last resort. They have also called for high-collar stab vests to be provided to frontline officers immediately, citing the threat from inmates after recent attacks on prison officers. Mr Jenrick said there is a growing risk that a prison officer could be kidnapped or murdered in the line of duty without his proposed reforms. 'We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails,' he said in a statement. 'Give them Tasers, give them stun grenades, give them baton rounds and give them access to lethal weapons,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News. 'Let's ensure the officers have what they need,' he added. 'The Chief Inspector of Prisons himself has said that he can see a situation where people like Islamist terrorists get access through drones to weapons, to explosives, hold prison officers hostage, even kill officers. 'This is going to happen unless the Government take action.' Mr Jenrick commissioned counter-extremism expert and former prison governor Ian Acheson to carry out a rapid review into the violence. Mr Acheson said: 'The threat to officer safety is now intolerable and must be met decisively by the Government. 'The balance inside too many of our prisons has shifted away from control by the state to mere containment and the price is soaring levels of staff assaults and wrecked rehabilitation.' It come after attacks by high-profile inmates. Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi targeted prison staff with boiling oil and homemade weapons in a planned ambush last month. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh earlier this month by pouring boiling water over them. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered a snap review into whether stab vests should be used more routinely, and a trial that will give specialised officers dealing with serious incidents Tasers is due to be launched this summer. Officers already have access to batons and Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, in men's prisons in the public sector. Asked whether he could see that the public would want him to take responsibility for failing prisons as a former government minister, Mr Jenrick told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'We should have done more, but look, what Labour are doing now is making the problem worse, and they are reaching for the easy lever of letting prisoners out early.' More than 10,000 prisoners were released up to 70 days early by the Tory government, according to Ministry of Justice figures. Under the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme, announced in October 2023, some prisoners could be freed 18 days before their conditional release date. That was increased to 35 days in March, and then to 70 days in May. The number of ECSL releases between October 17 and June 30 was 10,083, the data shows. Responding to the shadow justice secretary's comments, a Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Robert Jenrick is once again being totally dishonest about the Conservatives' dire record in a desperate attempt to distract from the crisis they left behind in our prison system. 'In 14 years they added fewer than 500 prison places in total and closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate as assaults on prison officers soared and experienced officers quit. 'This Labour Government is cleaning up the mess the Conservatives created with a £4.7 billion investment to build new prisons and a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the system.'
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Give prison officers the lethal weapons ‘they need', Jenrick says
The Conservatives said secure armouries should be introduced at maximum security jails to be used as a last resort. They have also called for high-collar stab vests to be provided to frontline officers immediately, citing the threat from inmates after recent attacks on prison officers. Mr Jenrick said there is a growing risk that a prison officer could be kidnapped or murdered in the line of duty without his proposed reforms. 'We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails,' he said in a statement. 'Give them Tasers, give them stun grenades, give them baton rounds and give them access to lethal weapons,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News. 'Let's ensure the officers have what they need,' he added. 'The Chief Inspector of Prisons himself has said that he can see a situation where people like Islamist terrorists get access through drones to weapons, to explosives, hold prison officers hostage, even kill officers. 'This is going to happen unless the Government take action.' Mr Jenrick commissioned counter-extremism expert and former prison governor Ian Acheson to carry out a rapid review into the violence. Mr Acheson said: 'The threat to officer safety is now intolerable and must be met decisively by the Government. 'The balance inside too many of our prisons has shifted away from control by the state to mere containment and the price is soaring levels of staff assaults and wrecked rehabilitation.' It come after attacks by high-profile inmates. Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi targeted prison staff with boiling oil and homemade weapons in a planned ambush last month. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh earlier this month by pouring boiling water over them. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered a snap review into whether stab vests should be used more routinely, and a trial that will give specialised officers dealing with serious incidents Tasers is due to be launched this summer. Officers already have access to batons and Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, in men's prisons in the public sector. Asked whether he could see that the public would want him to take responsibility for failing prisons as a former government minister, Mr Jenrick told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'We should have done more, but look, what Labour are doing now is making the problem worse, and they are reaching for the easy lever of letting prisoners out early.' More than 10,000 prisoners were released up to 70 days early by the Tory government, according to Ministry of Justice figures. Under the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme, announced in October 2023, some prisoners could be freed 18 days before their conditional release date. That was increased to 35 days in March, and then to 70 days in May. The number of ECSL releases between October 17 and June 30 was 10,083, the data shows. Responding to the shadow justice secretary's comments, a Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Robert Jenrick is once again being totally dishonest about the Conservatives' dire record in a desperate attempt to distract from the crisis they left behind in our prison system. 'In 14 years they added fewer than 500 prison places in total and closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate as assaults on prison officers soared and experienced officers quit. 'This Labour Government is cleaning up the mess the Conservatives created with a £4.7 billion investment to build new prisons and a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the system.'
Glasgow Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Give prison officers the lethal weapons ‘they need', Jenrick says
The Conservatives said secure armouries should be introduced at maximum security jails to be used as a last resort. They have also called for high-collar stab vests to be provided to frontline officers immediately, citing the threat from inmates after recent attacks on prison officers. Robert Jenrick commissioned counter-extremism expert and former prison governor Ian Acheson to carry out a rapid review into the violence (Yui Mok/PA) Mr Jenrick said there is a growing risk that a prison officer could be kidnapped or murdered in the line of duty without his proposed reforms. 'We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails,' he said in a statement. 'Give them Tasers, give them stun grenades, give them baton rounds and give them access to lethal weapons,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News. 'Let's ensure the officers have what they need,' he added. 'The Chief Inspector of Prisons himself has said that he can see a situation where people like Islamist terrorists get access through drones to weapons, to explosives, hold prison officers hostage, even kill officers. 'This is going to happen unless the Government take action.' Mr Jenrick commissioned counter-extremism expert and former prison governor Ian Acheson to carry out a rapid review into the violence. Mr Acheson said: 'The threat to officer safety is now intolerable and must be met decisively by the Government. 'The balance inside too many of our prisons has shifted away from control by the state to mere containment and the price is soaring levels of staff assaults and wrecked rehabilitation.' It come after attacks by high-profile inmates. Manchester Arena plotter Hashem Abedi targeted prison staff with boiling oil and homemade weapons in a planned ambush last month. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana (Merseyside Police/PA) Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly attacked a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh earlier this month by pouring boiling water over them. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered a snap review into whether stab vests should be used more routinely, and a trial that will give specialised officers dealing with serious incidents Tasers is due to be launched this summer. Officers already have access to batons and Pava spray, a synthetic form of pepper spray, in men's prisons in the public sector. Asked whether he could see that the public would want him to take responsibility for failing prisons as a former government minister, Mr Jenrick told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'We should have done more, but look, what Labour are doing now is making the problem worse, and they are reaching for the easy lever of letting prisoners out early.' More than 10,000 prisoners were released up to 70 days early by the Tory government, according to Ministry of Justice figures. Under the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) scheme, announced in October 2023, some prisoners could be freed 18 days before their conditional release date. That was increased to 35 days in March, and then to 70 days in May. The number of ECSL releases between October 17 and June 30 was 10,083, the data shows. Responding to the shadow justice secretary's comments, a Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Robert Jenrick is once again being totally dishonest about the Conservatives' dire record in a desperate attempt to distract from the crisis they left behind in our prison system. 'In 14 years they added fewer than 500 prison places in total and closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate as assaults on prison officers soared and experienced officers quit. 'This Labour Government is cleaning up the mess the Conservatives created with a £4.7 billion investment to build new prisons and a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the system.'
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Britain to spend £1,500,000,000 on new weapons factories in 'message' to Putin
The UK must be 'prepared' for a real-world attack by Russia, the government said today. An extra £6 billion investment for military capabilities has now been announced, with Defence Secretary John Healey saying the money would also be spent on drones, ships and 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons. Around £1.5 billion of it will go to building at least six new factories to build weapons, producing things like explosives and pyrotechnics. They will operate on an 'always on' basis meaning production can be easily scaled up if needed, the government said. More will be invested in tech to stop tens of thousands of Russian cyberattacks. It comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to bitterly wage war, with some of the worst attacks seen so far, even as peace is constantly claimed to be within reach. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sign up here. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Mr Healey said that the UK's new spending was a 'message to Moscow', and was necessary to show that the country would not be an easy target. He said that the change would 'equip our forces for the future' as well as creating 1,800 jobs around the country. He told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme that Russia is 'attacking the UK daily', with some 90,000 cyber attacks from state-linked sources detected over the last two years. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force … it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' Tomorrow, the Strategic Defence Review – a report into the country's capabilities and weaknesses – will be published, after it was commissioned a year ago, when Labour took power. It will set out how the government intends to counter these threats, including plans to reach 2.5% of GDP spending on defence by 2027, and an 'ambition' to hit 3% in the next parliament, after pressure from US president Donald Trump that Nato members should be spending at least 5%. A cyber command to counter online threats is also being set up as part of the review. And more than £1.5 billion in extra funding will go to urgent repairs to military homes, such as fixing boilers and roofs, and tackling damp. This isn't part of the plans currently. In fact, the Army is shrinking, because more people are leaving than joining. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number,' Mr Healey said. In January this year, there were 71,151 regular soldiers in the British Army. It comes after the Conservative government introduced the 'Future Soldier' change in 2021, aimed at reducing the size of the force to 73,000 to cut costs and better respond to modern warfare. But Mr Healey said there were now even less than that, but he doesn't expect progress towards raising the number until the next parliament. Writing in the Mirror, Defence minister Alistair Cairns said there were plans to increase cadet numbers by 30%, with new opportunities for young people to join the armed forces. Tory politicians welcomed the plans, but said more was needed sooner. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said he was 'sceptical' as to whether all the money would end up being spent, and told Sky News: 'We think that 2034 is a long time to wait given the gravity of the situation'. On the other hand, some are unhappy with what it shows about government priorities. In February, the Green Party wrote an open letter to Mr Healey saying there should be an 'increase in spending on diplomacy, peace-building and overseas aid in order to improve our security', not just on building bombs. Ellie Chowns MP said it was 'horrifying' that cuts to the international aid budget would help increase defence spending, saying: 'How many people will fall ill or die because they cannot access health services; how many more will go hungry? And how many children will be denied an education as a result of this decision? 'Cutting aid risks making the world more volatile and more dangerous, not safer. Real security means tackling hunger, poverty, and climate chaos.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Seven dead in train crash after 'explosions' destroy bridges on Ukraine border MORE: Schoolgirl, 13, killed after javelin went through her eye in PE lesson pictured MORE: At least 13 newborns trafficked abroad to 'infertile' parents for £510,000
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Business
- Leader Live
Defence review is ‘message to Moscow'
The Government has pledged £1.5 billion to set up at least six factories, and will support the procurement of up to 7,000 UK-built long-range weapons in response to the strategic defence review (SDR) to be published on Monday. The new funding will see UK munitions spend hit £6 billion during this parliament and support around 1,800 jobs throughout the country. Sir Keir Starmer has called the review a 'radical blueprint' and pledged a 'wave of investments' in shipbuilding, drone technology and cyber defences. Defence Secretary John Healey said the £6 billion of investment would 'equip our forces for the future' and 'create the jobs in every part of the UK'. 'This is a message to Moscow as well. This is Britain standing behind, making our armed forces stronger but making our industrial base stronger, and this is part of our readiness to fight, if required,' he told the BBC's Sunday Morning With Laura Kuenssberg programme. He said Russia is 'attacking the UK daily' as part of some 90,000 cyber attacks from state-linked sources were directed at the UK's defence over the last two years. A cyber command to counter such threats is being set up as part of the review. Asked if he expected a form of real-world attack by Russia on the UK in the coming years, he said: 'We have to be prepared. Nato has to be prepared. We see Putin in Ukraine trying to redraw international boundaries by force … it's part of the growing Russian aggression.' He added that is why Nato and the UK are 'stepping up our ability to deter as well as to defend in the future'. 'The world is more uncertain. The tensions are greater but we prepare for war in order to secure the peace. If you're strong enough to defeat an enemy you deter them from attacking in the first place,' Mr Healey said. He said plans to reach 2.5% of GDP spending on defence by 2027 and an 'ambition' to hit 3% in the next parliament were 'enough to deliver the SDR's vision that sets out tomorrow, and that vision is a transformation of Britain's armed forces.' He said there was 'no doubt' the Government would reach 3% in the next parliament. But he said he does not expect to make progress towards raising the number of soldiers to 73,000 until the next parliament. 'We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining. 'The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number,' he said. Defence minister Alistair Cairns, writing in The Mirror, said there were plans to increase cadet numbers by 30% with new opportunities for young people to get into the armed forces. And more than £1.5 billion in extra funding will go to military homes for urgent repairs such as fixing boilers and roofs, and other issues including tackling damp. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the Government's pledge to increase defence spending but said he was 'sceptical' as to whether the Chancellor would make good on the plans. Mr Jenrick said the UK should reach 3% of GDP spending on defence 'within this parliament'. 'We think that 2034 is a long time to wait given the gravity of the situation,' he told the Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme on Sky News.
