Operation Early Dawn: Emergency move to avoid prison overcrowding triggered – amid sentencing of rioters

Published

12 months ago

August 18, 2024

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An emergency plan to avoid overcrowding in jails has been triggered this morning, the government has announced – in the wake of the sentencing of scores of rioters.

Operation Early Dawn is a long-standing plan that means defendants waiting for a court appearance could be held in police cells for longer until prison space is available in the event they are remanded in custody.

However, it could mean court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice.

Prosecutors have been trying to fast-track cases of people accused of involvement in the recent riots in parts of the UK, with 927 people arrested and 466 of those charged by last Monday.

More than 100 have already been sentenced, it emerged in court last week, with national chairman of Prison Officers Association Mark Fairhurst telling the BBC yesterday that last week, the prison estate had the biggest influx of new receptions it had seen for some time.

“We had 397 new receptions. As of Friday we only had 340 spaces left in the adult closed male estate which is feeling the most pressure,” he said.

Mr Fairhurst told Sky News the North East and North West were under particular pressure and offenders there faced being “carted 100, 200 miles away from home” to serve their sentence.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed in a statement that prisons in the north of England had seen hundreds of people enter the prison estate in recent weeks after “the government took decisive action to tackle violent thuggery on our streets”.

The measure will apply in the North East and Yorkshire; Cumbria and Lancashire; and Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire regions.

Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: “We inherited a justice system in crisis and exposed to shocks. As a result, we have been forced into making difficult but necessary decisions to keep it operating.

“However, thanks to the hard work of our dedicated staff and partners, we have brought forward additional prison places and now introduced Operation Early Dawn to manage the pressure felt in some parts of the country.”

Downing Street said the measures could be triggered several times over the summer – and are expecting the periods to last around a week at a time.

The Ministry of Justice said last month that violence and self-harm in prisons was at “unacceptable” levels with overcrowding pushing some to the “point of collapse”.

A scathing inspection of HMP Wandsworth in southwest London also revealed “chaos” and “appalling conditions”, stemming from “poor leadership at every level”.

To free up space, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood also plans to temporarily cut the proportion of a sentence that must be served before parole is possible from 50% to 40%.

It’s expected to mean 5,500 people being released in September and October.

It won’t apply to those convicted of terrorism, sex offences, domestic abuse and some violent offences. The government confirmed people involved in the riots also won’t be eligible.

Operation Early Dawn was last used in May by the previous government, again to try to ease overcrowding.

The Law Society warned at the time that cases could be delayed and solicitors were unlikely to know if their clients’ cases would definitely be heard until they arrived at court.

What is Operation Early Dawn?

The measure allows people waiting to appear in court to be held in police cells until more prison spaces become available.

Defendants being held in custody are then only summoned before magistrates when the extra prison capacity is confirmed.

The process helps to minimise disruption to bail hearings and is seen as a short-term measure to manage capacity pressure in a number of regions.

The operation involves assessments being carried out every morning and throughout the day.

This looks at which defendants can appear in court and the prison locations available should they be remanded in custody.

The measure will not impact ongoing crown court trials with prisoners appearing at hearings and then returning to jail as normal.

Operation Early Dawn will not have any impact on the ability of the police to arrest criminals – and means anyone who poses a risk will still not be bailed.

Politics

More children from Gaza to be brought to UK for urgent medical treatment

Published

5 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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More children from Gaza to be brought to UK for urgent medical treatment

Efforts to bring Gazan children to the UK for urgent medical treatment are set to be accelerated under new government plans.

Under the scheme, reportedly set to be announced within weeks, more injured and sick children will be treated by specialists in the NHS “where that is the best option for their care”.

It has been suggested that up to 300 children could arrive in the UK from Gaza.

A parent or guardian will accompany each child, as well as siblings if necessary, and the Home Office will carry out biometric and security checks before travel, the Sunday Times has reported.

It is understood this will happen “in parallel” with an initiative by Project Pure Hope, a group set up to bring sick and injured Gazan children to the UK privately for treatment.

A government spokesperson said: “We are taking forward plans to evacuate more children from Gaza who require urgent medical care, including bringing them to the UK for specialist treatment where that is the best option for their care.”

More than 50,000 children are estimated to have been killed or injured in Gaza since October 2023, according to Unicef.

So far, three children have arrived in the UK for medical treatment with the help of the charity Project Pure Hope.

Around 5,000 have been evacuated in total, with the majority going to Egypt and Gulf countries.

Sir Keir Starmer said last week that the UK was “urgently accelerating” efforts to bring children over for treatment.

The government has also pledged another £1m to help the World Health Organisation in Egypt provide medical support to evacuated Gazans.

The prime minister told the Mirror: “I know the British people are sickened by what is happening.

“The images of starvation and desperation in Gaza are utterly horrifying. We are urgently accelerating efforts to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance – bringing more Palestinian children to the UK for specialist medical treatment.”

Around 100 MPs have signed a letter urging the government to fast track the scheme.

Labour MP Stella Creasy, who co-ordinated the letter, said: “The commitment we all share to help these children remains absolute and urgent – with every day, more are harmed or die, making the need to overcome any barriers to increasing the support we give them imperative.

“We stand ready to support whatever it takes to make this happen and ask for your urgent response.”

Meanwhile, Project Pure Hope has been campaigning for months to create a scheme which would allow for the evacuation of 30 to 50 children.

The charity has raised the money to bring the children and their families to the UK, and cover their medical costs, privately.

Politics

The token is dead, long live the token

Published

5 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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The token is dead, long live the token

Crypto tokens have failed retail investors through insider concentration and poor design. Regulation and tokenized real-world assets offer hope for revival.

Politics

Clampdown on social media ads for Channel crossings unveiled

Published

14 hours ago

August 3, 2025

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Clampdown on social media ads for Channel crossings unveiled

Anyone who advertises Channel crossings or fake passports on social media could face up to five years in prison under new government plans.

Research suggests about 80% of migrants arriving to the UK by small boat used internet platforms during their journey – including to contact agents linked to smuggling gangs.

While it is already illegal to assist illegal immigration, ministers hope the creation of a new offence will give police more powers and disrupt business models.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is also planning to introduce a fast-track scheme to tackle the asylum backlog, meaning decisions will be made within weeks.

It comes as official figures show more than 25,000 people have arrived on small boats so far in 2025 – a record for this point in the year.

Ms Cooper said it is “immoral” for smugglers to sell false promises online, adding: “These criminals have no issue with leading migrants to life-threatening situations using brazen tactics on social media.

“We are determined to do everything we can to stop them, wherever they operate.”

The new offence prohibiting the online promotion of Channel crossings is set to be included in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill already going through Parliament.

Officials from the National Crime Agency already work with tech giants to remove such posts – with more than 8,000 taken offline last year.

A Preston-based smuggler who was jailed for 17 years had posted videos of migrants thanking him for his help.

Meanwhile, Albanian smugglers have created promotions for £12,000 “package deals” which claim to offer accommodation and a job in the UK on arrival.

The Conservatives have described the measures as “too little, too late” – and say automatic deportations are the only way to tackle small boat crossings.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour still has no clear plan to deter illegal entry, no effective enforcement and no strategy to speed up removals. This is a panicked attempt to look tough after months of doing nothing.”

It comes as protests outside hotels believed to be housing asylum seekers continue in towns and cities across the UK.

Several demonstrators were detained – with police breaking up brief clashes – outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in north London yesterday.

The government is legally required to provide accommodation and subsistence to destitute asylum seekers while their claims are being decided, most of whom are prohibited from working.