Politics · 22 July 2026
Streeting and Mahmood apologise after laughing about prisoner release plans on camera
Richard Townshend (Wikimedia, CC-BY-3.0) | Chris McAndrew (Wikimedia, CC-BY-3.0)
Victims' groups said the remarks were hurtful because hundreds of offenders are due to start leaving prison early under the new Sentencing Act from September. Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood apologised on Wednesday after a hot mic caught them joking with new justice secretary Alex Norris about the policy. Claire Waxman, the victims' commissioner, has urged ministers to make reviewing the scheme their top priority.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs