Offenders could serve sentence in Estonian prisons to ease overcrowding
The government is not ruling out sending offenders to Estonia as a means of alleviating severe overcrowding on the UK prison estate.
Sky News understands that having offenders serve out their sentence in the Baltic state is one of many options being considered to address over-capacity on the prison estate – where there are thought to be just over 1,000 spaces left in prisons across England and Wales.
Since coming into office, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, has warned overcrowding could lead to a breakdown in law and order if action is not taken to alleviate pressure on the system.
Last month, with the country still feeling the impact of the riots that took place in the wake of the Southport stabbings, spare spaces were understood to have been reduced to just 100 in male prisons across England and Wales – the closest the system has come to running out of capacity.
The government has already taken controversial steps to alleviate overcrowding, including by allowing the early release of prisoners who have served 40% of their sentence.
Prisoners in England and Wales, apart from the most serious offenders, are usually released on licence after serving 50% of their sentence – but from this month, this will be reduced to 40%.
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Starmer blames Tories over prisons
Magistrates were last month told to consider pushing back the sentencing of criminals because of concerns about overcrowding.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The new government inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons on the point of collapse.
“We will continue to investigate all viable options to increase the number of places in the prisons estate so we can keep locking up dangerous criminals and protect the public.”
The idea of sending criminals on the British prison estate to Estonia was first floated by former justice secretary Alex Chalk.
He told last year’s Conservative Party conference that the then government under Rishi Sunak would enter exploratory discussions with countries in Europe over the possibility of renting prison space abroad.
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The previous government said it would only enter into agreement with European countries provided aspects of the prison system, including facilities and rehabilitation, matched UK standards.
It argued its policy was in line with steps taken by Belgium and Norway, which have used foreign prison places in the Netherlands in the last decade.
In her first speech as justice secretary, Ms Mahmood blamed Mr Sunak “and his gang in Number 10” for being “too weak to heed the warning signs that were flashing”.
More than 10,000 prisoners were released early under the previous government between October last year and June this year, leaked documents suggest.
Politics
Sir Keir Starmer declares gifts and freebies totalling more than £100,000 – the highest of any MP
Sir Keir Starmer has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, Sky News can reveal.
Government officials are worried the prime minister’s willingness to accept hospitality to go to football matches could amount to a conflict of interest given plans to overhaul the sport’s regulator which many clubs oppose.
The prime minister received two-and-a-half times more gifts and hospitality than the next MP, according to a league table compiled as part of Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project – which traces how money flows through our political system.
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Since December 2019, he received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
The next highest in the league table is the Commons leader Lucy Powell on £40,289, while the prime minister received gifts roughly equivalent to the next five MPs combined.
The table does not account for those who received help with legal fees.
‘It’s nuts’
One member of the government called the situation “nuts” and said the freebies “should be banned”.
Sky News has also learnt that officials are warning the prime minister could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by saying he will continue to accept football tickets.
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Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision, and the future of a football regulator is under consideration at the moment.
The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir – a renowned Arsenal fan – has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019.
Sir Keir declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League, which is lobbying against a football regulator; including four Taylor Swift tickets during the election campaign worth £4,000; two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628; and numerous tickets spanning several Arsenal matches costing well over £6,000 in total.
How to explore the Westminster Accounts
Sir Keir and his wife Victoria have benefitted from luxury clothing and Taylor Swift tickets
PM defiant in face of criticism
Sky News can reveal the prime minister ignored warnings from some in his senior team while in opposition. They feared the issue could cause him political damage, but he justified it by saying it was within the rules.
Senior Labour figures are incandescent that the story about freebies for the Starmer family has dragged on for days, and ministers going out with different and often contradictory explanations.
They blame a lack of political grip on the operation, intensifying pressure on Sir Keir’s chief of staff Sue Gray, and sparking private calls for her to be side-lined or sacked.
Sir Keir defended his right to continue to take football freebies earlier this week, saying: “If I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game.”
“Never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far,” he added.
Sky News asked Number 10 whether football donations were a conflict of interest and about the pre-election discussions about the appropriateness of accepting hospitality.
We also asked for comment on the fact Sir Keir is top of the table for gifts and hospitality, excluding legal donations.
They did not comment.
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PM wants ‘transparency’ over donations
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Most of Sir Keir’s gifts and hospitality – £86,708 of the £107,145 – were accepted in the last parliament, but £20,437 was declared in this parliament for accommodation that straddles the two periods.
The biggest donor of gifts and hospitality is Labour peer Waheed Alli, who gave the equivalent of £39,122.
These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, “work clothing” worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.
Starmer’s chief of staff under fire
This comes on a bleak day for Sir Keir after the BBC revealed his chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than £170,000, which is higher than the prime minister.
Ms Gray was the last government’s ethics chief and even the prime minister’s allies are incandescent she has not put a stop to this practice.
This is embarrassing for Sir Keir after he previously criticised the scale of Dominic Cummings’s salary, who was Boris Johnson’s chief of staff.
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The government does not deny the salary level but insists she did not set the level of her salary herself – which is higher than her predecessor.
However, this has been challenged for figures familiar with the process. They said successive chiefs of staff who preceded Ms Gray had to agree recommendations on adviser pay and advise on the decisions made by ministers.
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