Almost 90,000 Britons could become victims of crime under Labour prison release plan

10 August 2026 , 10:04

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Almost 90,000 Britons could become victims of crime under Labour prison release plan

Almost 90,000 Britons will become victims of crime thanks to Labour’s prison release plan, new analysis suggests.

According to the Conservatives, there will be around 500 added sex offences, nearly 1,800 violent crimes and just under 36,000 thefts before the end of this Parliament in 2029.

On top of this, the Tories estimate there could be 1,500 crimes for possessing a weapon, more than 7,000 drug-related offences and up to 3,000 public order offences that will be recorded.

It comes amid reports the early prison release policy is still under review as Prime Minister Andy Burnham considers viable options to block the release of police officer Andrew Harper’s killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole.

Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy told the Daily Mail: "Labour’s early release scheme is still set to let thousands of dangerous criminals out early, and this will mean communities seeing dangerous offenders let back on to their streets."

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "This is highly speculative and an inaccurate method of calculating the impact of sentencing reforms.

"Without them, we risk prisons reaching capacity and collapsing. If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders, and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets.

"The Sentencing Act is restoring order to a prison system left on the brink of collapse, while our record £700million investment in probation and community punishment ensures staff have the resources... needed to manage offenders safely in the community."

Sophia Martinez

World Affairs Correspondent