UK: Police Begin Manhunt for Prisoner Mistakenly Released From HMP Wandsworth
Above:Â The main gates to HMP Wandsworth in London, England, in 2010. Â Image copyright:Â Andrew Aitchison/Corbis/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
This Labour government inherited a catastrophic prison system from Conservative mismanagement that brought facilities to the brink of collapse. The Tories promised 20,000 new prison places but delivered only 1,000 while costs ballooned by 80%, placing Labour in an impossible situation of saving a ticking time bomb.
Opposition narrative
The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary repeatedly dodged questions about additional mistaken prisoner releases, knowing another dangerous foreign criminal had been freed from prison. Despite claiming that tough new checks had been implemented after last week's embarrassment, the system failed again under Labour's direct responsibility.
