Sadiq Khan MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to the news that Serco has agreed to repay the Government £68.5 million for over-charging on criminal tagging contracts and G4S has been referred to the SFO again, said:

“The Ministry of Justice should have barred G4S and Serco from any more contracts back in July when the scandal first came to light, as Labour demanded.

“Outrageously, instead of ministers grasping the nettle, it has been left to G4S and Serco to rule themselves out of contracts, a decision neither company should ever have been left to take.

"David Cameron’s probation privatisation gamble risks turning into a disaster. It is disgraceful they are going ahead and still allowing both companies to play a supporting role.

"They should rip up their half-baked plans and come forward with proposals that don’t simply line the pockets of big companies at the same time as endangering the public”