The disclosure has led to claims that Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s promise to pump more than £2bn into tackling the prison overcrowding crisis is quietly being watered down as pressure on public finances mounts and departmental budgets are squeezed.
An additional £395m has also been cut from the so-called “capital” spending budget chiefly dedicated to prison repairs has similarly been switched.
Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Conservative MP and Justice Select Committee member said quietly axing funding from investment in prisons raised questions about the Government’s strategy.
“Public safety and the integrity of our justice system depend on adequate prison capacity. The failure to prioritise this investment raises serious questions about the Government’s commitment to tackling crime and reducing reoffending.“
square PUBLIC SECTOR PAY Exclusive£1bn cuts to hospitals and schools to fund pay rises for doctors and teachers
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Cassia Rowland, senior researcher at the Institute for Government, said that while overall spending levels at the MoJ were higher than planned during the spending review, moving funds from capital-building projects into everyday spending would damage their prison plans.
In March, The i Paper revealed the Government had cut up to £1.4bn in spending for modernising schools and hospitals to pay for pay deals with trade unions, with £575m being removed from school budgets.
Last month, Mahmood, while opening a new prison in Yorkshire, said, “Public safety must never be put at risk again by the failure to have enough prison places.”
Mick Primblett, deputy general secretary of The Prison Officers Association, said: “We have campaigned for years for a prisons budget that addresses the fundamental problems in the service – understaffing, overcrowding, pay, safety and the condition of the prison estate.
An MoJ spokesperson said: “We are committed to delivering 14,000 new prison places by 2031. Following the opening of HMP Millsike this week, 2,400 places have now been delivered since July 2024.”
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