Labour refuses to reveal how many new crimes have been committed by prisoners freed under 'chaotic' new early release scheme

Published: 11:17 EDT, 27 October 2026 | Updated: 11:18 EDT, 27 October 2026 Labour has refused to publish figures on how many new crimes have been committed by prisoners freed under its new early release scheme.Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy accused the Government of presiding over a ‘chaotic’ programme that has already seen thousands of offenders freed.The scheme was launched at the beginning of the month and is set to see up to 50,000 prisoners let out early each year.Ministers have said there is a ‘presumption’ that freed offenders will be made to wear an electronic tag, but the system is under pressure and police have said they will not be able to respond to every reported breach of tagging conditions.In an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Timothy said: ‘Will ministers publish full data on how many released prisoners have been tagged?‘Will they publish comprehensive data on reoffending by prisoners let out through Labour’s early release scheme and will the Justice Secretary apologise to this House for telling the public they will be kept safe?’He added: ‘We know that more than 5,000 offenders went unmonitored in the first half of this year because they weren’t fitted with a tag. This is a mess. There were scenes of celebration outside HMP Bristol on the first day of the early release scheme at the start of October‘So chaotic is Labour’s early release scheme, prisoners are being given tents instead of housing on release.’Justice minister Catherine McKinnell declined to provide details, however, and said: ‘We are working night and day to fix a broken system that we inherited.‘We are working incredibly hard with the police, with the probation service and all those in the criminal justice system that want to keep the public safe and make sure that victims get the service they need, too.’She added that Labour was ‘investing £100million on electronic monitoring’ and in a pilot scheme to fit prisoners with the devices before they leave jail.Earlier this month the Daily Mail revealed Labour’s plans to conceal the number of criminals freed early from prison, prompting accusations of a cover-up.Unlike Labour’s previous early release scheme – which has let out more than 70,000 offenders so far – the Ministry of Justice will not publish figures on how many actually walk free under the new programme.Instead, the number of criminals benefitting from heavy discounts on their punishments will be rolled into an existing set of statistics – and will be impossible to separate out.It will leave the public and MPs in the dark about the full scale of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s soft justice bonanza.The scheme is currently releasing offenders handed sentences of up to 29 months.Those serving even longer sentences will become eligible as the scheme is extended each month – with the tenth and final expansion, in early June, applying to those given sentences of 12 years or more. Just days after the scheme launched on October 1, a senior Metropolitan Police officer warned that one prisoner freed under the new scheme had committed a series of new crimes with ‘astonishing’ speed.Prolific offender Michael Bogle, 38, admitted 11 shoplifting offences and was re-jailed.The registered sex offender had previously been photographed walking out of HMP Wandsworth on the scheme’s first day. Asked if he had a message for Mr Burnham he said: ‘Keep the early release going. It’s good.’ One prisoner freed under the new scheme Michael Bogle, 38, pictured, committed a series of new crimes with ‘astonishing’ speed and was re-jailedPrisoners previously required to serve 40 or 50 per cent of sentences handed down by the courts are now freed after serving just 33 per cent.As the scheme is rolled out, criminals convicted of certain violent or sexual offences who were previously eligible for release two-thirds of the way through their sentence will be let out at the halfway stage instead.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has announced plans to build 50,000 new jail places if her party wins the next General Election, increasing the size of the prison estate by more than 50 per cent.