Labour has admitted it has not planned to build any new jails since coming to power despite sounding the alarm regarding overcrowding.
Ministers announced within weeks of taking office in July 2024 that huge numbers of criminals would have to be set free early to create more space behind bars.
Now, under the early release scheme, thousands more will be allowed out after serving just a third of their sentences – prompting a scramble by Andy Burnham to exempt rapists and the killers of PC Andrew Harper.
But it has emerged that despite warning about the lack of prison places for two years, and blaming the crisis on the Tories, the Labour Government has not set out proposals to build any more jails.
A recent written Parliamentary answer by Justice Minister Jake Richards revealed: 'No new prisons have been (a) planned or (b) approved since July 5, 2024 [the day Keir Starmer moved into No 10].'
Under a Prison Capacity Strategy set out in December 2024, Labour aims to create 14,000 more places by 2031 in what the minister described as 'four new prisons'.
However, the sites had been announced by the Tories in June 2020 and include HMP Millsike, which has already opened its doors.
Another of the long-planned jails, HMP Welland Oaks, is not due to open until 2029, while construction has not begun on the other two.
Despite warning about the lack of prison places for two years, Andy Burnham's Government has not set out proposals to build any more jails
It comes after the early release scheme was heavily criticised for allowing thousands of killers - including the murderers of PC Andrew Harper (pictured with his wife, Lissie) - to potentially be released from prison after serving just a third of their sentences
The Prisons Minister has been accused of going missing during the early-release crisis.
Catherine McKinnell was appointed on July 21, but she has not commented since about Labour's plan to release thousands of prisoners early, or the PM's subsequent U-turns.
Hours after the Mail contacted the Government, Ms McKinnell, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, posted on social media photos of herself outside a court and a prison.
She wrote: 'Three weeks. Four visits. A lot of conversations.'
On Tuesday Mr Burnham said he was now confident PC Harper's killers would stay locked up.
A Labour Party spokesman said: 'After 14 years in power, the Conservatives closed 23 prisons, removed more than 7,500 prison places and left the prison system at breaking point. Labour has already delivered more than 3,000 of the additional 14,000 places planned - the largest prison building programme since the Victorian era.
'The Prime Minister understands the concerns of victims and their families, so he has asked the Justice Secretary to accelerate plans to create more headroom in the prison system, including by speeding up the removal of foreign national offenders.’
The Ministry of Justice added: 'This government inherited a prison capacity crisis after prison places increased by just 500 places in 14 years and 23 prisons were closed. We are getting on with the job and fixing this crisis by delivering 14,000 additional places, with more than 3,200 places already delivered.
'The latest figures show releases in errors have fallen by a quarter since last year and we’re driving this down further investing £82 million to replace outdated paper-based processes, roll out biometrics and create a single Justice ID for every person entering the prison system.’