Sadiq Khan MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to the NAO Report Managing the prison estate, said:

“This NAO report confirms that David Cameron’s prisons policy is in tatters. The Prime Minister and Chris Grayling have cancelled the prison building programme they inherited from Labour, and have closed down so many prisons at such a fast pace that there is now a shortage of prison places. To make matters worse, the report criticises the Government for closing prisons which do a good job in punishing and reforming criminals and replacing them with newer prisons that aren’t up to scratch.

“Latest Ministry of Justice figures show there are just 509 prison spaces left in England and Wales, with the system operating at over 99% of capacity. Things are so bad that police stations and court cells might have to be used. Public confidence in our justice system will be massively damaged if there’s not enough space in prisons to lock up criminals.”