Boris Johnson to boost jails in law and order election pledge

Britain’s prisons are operating at 97 per cent of capacity and there are fears that overcrowding is fuelling record violence
Britain’s prisons are operating at 97 per cent of capacity and there are fears that overcrowding is fuelling record violence
ALAMY

Boris Johnson will unveil plans next week to increase the number of prison places in an effort to reclaim the Conservatives’ reputation as the party of law and order before a possible election.

The prime minister is expected to announce a renewed prison-building programme after concerns that previous plans to increase capacity by 10,000 places before 2020 have stalled. One of many expected moves on crime and justice, it will be seen as part of Mr Johnson’s efforts to prepare the Tories for a general election after Brexit.

Mr Johnson is expected to argue in a speech this week that overcrowded prisons in England and Wales are increasing violence and hampering efforts to rehabilitate offenders.

Prosecutions for rape have fallen by a third in