Lord Falconer, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to comments by the Chief Inspector of Prisons on synthetic cannabis, said:

“The Chief Inspector’s warning and call for a clear strategy to tackle the scourge of legal highs could not come at a more opportune time. A rise in violence, self-harm and overcrowding has led to a prison service on the brink of collapse.

“This is another wake up call for Michael Gove who must now put forward plans to deal with the Tory prison crisis and start to deliver the radical reform that our jails so sorely need.”