DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Andy Burnham is pledging to create thousands of extra jail spaces as anger grows over early release for offenders...but what exactly does his prisons plan involve?

Published: 00:25, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 00:25, 5 August 2026 Regardless of overcrowding in Britain's jails, the early release of domestic abusers, child sex offenders and other undesirables is completely unacceptable. It may be cold comfort, but Andy Burnham's plan for 'the fastest prison building programme since the Victorian era' is at least an acknowledgement that reducing felons' sentences cannot become the norm. But the fact remains that we know practically nothing about how he intends creating room for 14,000 extra inmates. While we are told that Justice Secretary Alex Norris is under orders to 'move rapidly' on making it all happen by 2031, precise details are thin on the ground. Even at this early stage in the Burnham premiership, there is something familiar about attention-grabbing announcements backed up with very little substance. No one is ever likely to accuse the PM of getting tangled up in facts, figures and logistics. Yet the difference in this instance is that – instead of cut-price bus fares or new powers for regional mayors – we are talking about a cornerstone of our society being under threat. This crisis isn't just about convicts spilling out on to the streets before serving their jail terms in full. Even at this early stage in the Burnham premiership, there is something familiar about attention-grabbing announcements backed up with very little substance. No one is ever likely to accuse the PM of getting tangled up in facts, figures and logistics It is also about wrongdoers remaining at liberty for far too long in the first instance due to court backlogs, delayed trials and the wheels of justice grinding even slower than usual. But it would be some consolation at least if, whenever they do finally find themselves under lock and key, they weren't back out in jig time. For all that Mr Burnham recognises the gravity of the situation, it is difficult to detect a sense of urgency in his response. Yet urgent, focused action is required. The PM needs to spell out detailed timeframes and locations for his plans to expand prison capacity. Nor can he expect us to wait interminably for focus groups and expert bodies to have their say on the matter. Britain's criminal justice system is increasingly at risk of being taken seriously by absolutely no one. And least of all by the criminals themselves. Few Labour policies have proved as disastrous as the demented Net Zero agenda pursued by Ed Miliband. With the Prime Minister's remarks last week about taking a 'pragmatic approach' to the North Sea and his acknowledgement that oil revenues could ease the cost of living, there was a glimmer of hope that common sense could finally prevail. It's too late to save BP's North Sea operation, of course. But the advice of Meg O'Neill, the energy giant's chief executive, about backing our homegrown fossil fuel industry should be heeded very closely by the PM. The imposition of crippling windfall taxes on oil and gas firms has done Britain absolutely no favours in the long run. No good reason exists for keeping them in place for even a moment longer. Following a lengthy legal battle, there is the very real prospect of a second runway opening at Gatwick Airport by the end of the decade. Such a development would mean an extra 100,000 flights and 13million passengers per year. Figures suggest a £1billion boost to economic growth. Of course, it also brings the hope of thousands of extra jobs coming to the South at a time when a disproportionate amount of the PM's attention seems focused on the other end of the country.