Labour cuts prison officers as criminals walk free

Prison officer numbers have fallen sharply under Labour as fewer criminals are increasingly avoiding immediate custody.

In the latest workforce statistics, there are 1,100 fewer FTE staff in our prisons as of 31 December 2025 compared to December 2024. Band 3–5 prison officers have fallen by 974 full-time equivalent posts, a 4.2 per cent decrease, alongside 157 fewer band 2 operational support staff.

Recruitment is also slowing, as the headcount of new band 3–5 officer appointments fell by 274, a 45.5 per cent decrease. Over the year to 31 December 2025, appointment of band 3–5 officers reduced by 34.4 per cent. The Youth Custody Estate has also seen staffing fall by 75 full-time equivalent posts, representing a 5.4 per cent decrease.

Across HM Prison and Probation Service, overall staffing has declined by 493 full-time equivalent staff compared to 31 December 2024.

Knife crime volumes are increasing on Labour's watch. The overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt by the CJS was 20,771, representing a 1.5 per cent increase compared to the year ending September 2024 and is the highest since 2019.

Despite rising knife offences, fewer offenders are receiving immediate custody. In the year ending September 2025, 30.8 per cent of knife and offensive weapon offences resulted in an immediate custodial sentence, down 2.1 percentage points on the previous year.

At the same time, threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences have increased by 15.7 per cent compared to the previous year, even though they account for 5.4 per cent of total offences.

Fewer frontline prison officers, rising serious weapon offences, and a growing share of repeat offenders avoiding immediate imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Labour's early release scheme has already freed nearly 50,000 criminals under SDS40. One man released early has since been charged with murder, having previously been jailed for knife offences. Another was back behind bars within little more than a day after allegedly assaulting his former partner. Others have spoken openly about homelessness and relapse following release.

Conservative Party analysis can reveal that over half a million people with criminal convictions are now claiming Universal Credit. Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that around 500,619 ex-offenders are currently receiving Universal Credit, whilst since Labour took office, a further 86,342 ex-offenders have been pushed onto benefits. Overall Universal Credit caseload has ballooned by 1.4 million, reaching a record 8.3 million people.

That outcome directly contradicts Labour's central promise. In its 2024 manifesto, Labour explicitly pledged to cut reoffending by getting prison leavers into work, recognising that employment is one of the strongest protections against returning to crime. Labour promised to link prisons with employers and the voluntary sector to move offenders into stable jobs. Those pathways have not materialised, leaving ex-offenders released and subsequently absorbed into the welfare system at scale. Getting Britain working again means breaking that cycle by restoring the link between punishment, rehabilitation and employment.

As well as early release, Labour are diluting constitutional safeguards as they are set to abolish jury trials. Abolishing jury trial for serious offences would hand decisions on liberty to a single judge and remove the historic right to be judged by twelve members of the public. If Labour had any backbone, they would pursue the direct remedies already available: providing adequate court sitting days and recruiting and retaining judges and advocates, ensuring that victims see fair trials and receive justice.

Frontline prison officer numbers are falling, knife crime is rising, a growing share of repeat offenders are avoiding immediate custody. The cumulative effect is a justice system that is reactive, and it is the public who carry the risk.

Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, said:

“Labour are creating a dangerous doom loop. Rising knife crime and falling custody numbers will only make repeat offending much worse.

“Prison officers already work under intense pressure. Cutting frontline staffing increases instability and increases the risk of violence inside our prisons.

“What the British public wants and expects is more criminals being locked up for longer. Prison works, but Labour are ideologically incapable of getting tough on crime.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

HMPPS Workforce:

• There are 1,100 fewer FTE staff in Public Sector Prisons as at 31 December 2025 compared to December 2024. This is a three per cent decrease (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• There are nearly 500 fewer prison staff in post compared to 31 December 2024. There are 493 FTE fewer staff in post compared to 31 December 2024, representing a 0.8 per cent decrease (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• There are nearly 1,000 fewer band 3-5 prison officers in post since 31 December 2024. There are 974 FTE (4.2 per cent) fewer band 3-5 prison officers in post since 31 December 2024, representing a 4.2 per cent decrease, and 467 FTE prison officers compared to 30 September 2025 (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• There are over 150 fewer band 2 operational support staff in post in our prisons under Labour. There are 157 FTE fewer band 2 operational support staff in post since 31 December 2024, representing a 2.8 per cent decrease (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• The headcount of new band 3 to 5 officer appointment has decreased by 45 per cent between July and September 2025. The headcount of new band 3 to 5 officer appointments decreased by 274 (45.5 per cent) from 603 between July and September 2025 to 329 between October and December 2025 (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• The headcount of new band 3 to 5 officer appointment has decreased by 34 per cent in the year to December 2025. Over the year to 31 December 2025, 2,286 band 3 to 5 officers were appointed (consisting of direct new recruits and existing staff who converted to a band 3 officer grade), a decrease of 1,197 (34.4 per cent) compared to 3,482 in the previous year (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• The Youth Custody Estate saw a decrease of 75 FTE staff. This represents a reduction of 5.4 per cent in staff on the Youth Custody Estate (MoJ, HM Prison & Probation Service workforce quarterly: December 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing:

• Knife crime volumes are increasing on Labour's watch. The overall number of knife and offensive weapon offences dealt by the CJS was 20,771. This represents a 1.5 per cent increase compared to the year ending September 2024 and is the highest since 2019 (MoJ, Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• The proportion of knife and offensive weapon offences resulting in an immediate custodial sentence has decreased by 2.1 per centage points since the year ending September 2024. The proportion of knife and offensive weapon offences resulting in an immediate custodial sentence was 30.8 per cent in the year ending September 2025 (MoJ, Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

• The number of threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences has seen an increase of 15.7 per cent compared to the previous year. This is despite threatening with a knife or offensive weapon offences accounting for 5.4 per cent of total offences in the last year (MoJ, Knife and Offensive Weapon Sentencing Statistics: July to September 2025, 19 February 2026, link).

Labour's Sentencing Bill changes the rules on early release for serious criminals:

• The Justice Secretary is releasing killers, rapists, and violent criminals after serving just 40 per cent of their sentence. The Justice Secretary will change the law so that most criminals, including sex offenders and robbers, will be released after serving just a third of their sentence with the exception of such as killers and rapists, who will have to serve at least half of their sentence. (UK Parliament, Sentencing Bill, 2 September 2025, link).

• Labour have released 48,932 prisoners early under SDS40. Beginning in September 2024, Labour have released 48,932 prisoners early (MoJ,Transparency Data: Standard Determinate Sentences 40 per cent (SDS40) Detailed Data, 29 January 2026, link).

• The Justice Secretary is abolishing custodial sentences of 12 months or less, handing over 40,000 criminals a ‘get out of jail free' card. Criminals, including hyper prolific shoplifters and those who assault emergency workers, will walk free with no prison time because Labour are abolishing custodial sentences of 12 months or less (The Telegraph, 24 May 2025, link).

Case studies:

• A man released from prison under the Government's early release scheme was charged with murder. A man released early from prison under the Government's overcrowding scheme has been charged with murder in London. He had previously been jailed for knife offences and was freed as part of the emergency early release programme introduced by Labour. This is reported to be the most serious crime committed by someone released under the scheme (Standard, 31 October 2025, link).

• Prisoners on early release are reoffending to escape homelessness. Sky News interviewed former prisoners, and one told them that being homeless and suffering a drug relapse after being released early has led to him considering reoffending (Sky News, 1 October 2024, link).

• A prisoner released early was back in jail after only 28 hours. ‘A former actor freed from jail early under Keir Starmer's prisoner release scheme is back behind bars after allegedly assaulting his ex-partner'. ‘Within 48 hours Hoganson, a 53-year-old of no fixed abode, was back in jail after being arrested' (Telegraph, 19 September 2024, link).

There are over half a million ex-offenders on Universal Credit:

• 6 per cent of UC claimants were ex-offenders. DWP commissioned IFF Research to conduct a large-scale quantitative survey of Universal Credit claimants who have experienced at least one of four forms of disadvantage. 21 per cent of claimants had experienced at least one of these four disadvantages, including 6 per cent of UC claimants were ex-offenders (Department of Work & Pensions, Research and Analysis, 30 October 2025, link).

• There are an estimated more than 500,000 ex-offenders on Universal Credit in December 2025. There were 8343654 people on Universal Credit in November 2025. 6 per cent of UC claimants were ex-offenders. There are an estimated 500,619 ex-offenders on Universal Credit in December 2025 (Department of Work & Pensions, Research and Analysis, 30 October 2025, link; Department of Work & Pensions, Stat-Xplore, accessed on 18 February 2026, link; Conservative Party Analysis, 18 February 2026, available on request).

• There are an estimated 86,342 additional ex-offenders on Universal Credit since Labour came to power. There are an estimated 414,276 ex-offenders on Universal Credit in July 2024. There are an estimated 500,619 ex-offenders on Universal Credit in December 2025. There are an estimated 86,342 additional ex-offenders on Universal Credit since Labour came to office (Department of Work & Pensions, Research and Analysis, 30 October 2025, link; Department of Work & Pensions, Stat-Xplore, accessed on 18 February 2026, link; Conservative Party Analysis, 18 February 2026, available on request).

The Conservative Party plan to restore law and order in our country and keep the British public safe: 

• We will hire 10,000 extra police officers. To combat Labour's cuts to policing, we would hire 10,000 extra police officers over three years as part of our plan to crack down on crime and support policing. This would cost £800 million per year once fully rolled out.  

The Conservative Party plan for sentencing guidance:

• The Conservative Party will abolish the Sentencing Council and give the Lord Chancellor the power to issue new sentencing guidance, subject to the assent of Parliament. We will do this by introducing new primary legislation to replace the relevant provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2008, amend the duties of the Lord Chancellor, as laid out in the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and reallocate the power to issue authoritative sentencing guidelines to the Lord Chancellor.