Yesterday every argument in British politics was really an argument about who carries a shortage.
Crossbencher · 12 August 2026
Yesterday every argument in British politics was really an argument about who carries a shortage.
Start with the one the country felt hardest. Police chiefs across Britain spent the day pressing the government over the early release scheme, and the BBC, the Mirror and GB News all reported the pressure building through the afternoon. The Guardian separately reported that probation staff have voted to strike, which matters more than the headline suggests, because the scheme only functions if somebody is there to supervise the people it lets out. The Guardian also asked, plainly, how viable the plans to free up prison space actually are. Underneath the row about who should be let out early is a shortage of places, and a full estate leaves a government three doors: build, release, or send people abroad. The first takes the better part of a decade and the third depends on a foreign government agreeing. That's why the second keeps happening, whoever is in office and whatever they promised. The rest is commentary on the maths.
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