The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by thanking colleagues for
establishing a strong sense of momentum in his first weeks in
office. He said the country had noticed a change of pace, with
the government setting the agenda and starting the process of
giving local areas the levers they need to create good growth. He
said that during his summer tour it was clear that life was hard
for many people, but that they wanted to have hope and hear a
positive outlook for the country.
The Prime Minister turned to the Justice Secretary, thanking him
for his work over the summer to address prison capacity and
sentencing reform. He said they were highly difficult issues, but
the response had been true to the government's values. He also
thanked the Home Secretary and her team for their relentless work
on small boat crossings. The Prime Minister said there had been
progress in the past, but the current fall in crossings reflected
real progress.
The Prime Minister then asked the Justice Secretary to update
Cabinet on the new measures in relation to prisons. The
Justice Secretary summarised the changes and said that controls
on offenders eligible for release would be the strongest and
widest ever available. He said he would update Parliament in a
statement later.
