Opposition day on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, in the House of Commons, led by Nick Timothy. The answering member was Jake Richards.

Early Release of Prisoners

Second Opposition day debate (part two). Motion that this House calls on the Government to exempt from automatic early release under the provisions of the Sentencing Act 2026 any offender who has been convicted of a sexual offence against an adult or a child, including rape and grooming, or convicted of the attempt, conspiracy, or incitement to commit such offences; further calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to enact this change immediately; and regrets that the Conservative amendment to the Sentencing Act 2026 that would have secured these exemptions was not agreed to. Closure motion agreed to. Main question agreed to on division (115 to 0).

Secondary information

Type: Parliamentary proceeding
Reference: 789 cc235-277
Session: 2026-27
Department: Ministry of Justice
Procedure: Closure motions; Proxy voting
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Proceeding contributions: Caroline Nokes | 789 c235 (Link to this contribution)
I inform the House that Mr Speaker has not selected the amendment. I call the shadow Secretary of...; Nick Timothy | 789 cc235-6 (Link to this contribution)
I beg to move,
That this House calls on the Government to exempt from automatic early relea...; Caroline Nokes | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
Order. The hon. Gentleman should say “worse than the right hon. Member for Islington North (Jerem...; Nick Timothy | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
Thank you for correcting me, Madam Deputy Speaker. I was quoting the tweets so exactly that I for...; Kevin Bonavia | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member calls this an “ideologically anti-prison Government”, but in 14 years of Conserva...; Nick Timothy | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
I think the hon. Gentleman would do well to not take the Whips’ questions, when the Whips have ju...; Saqib Bhatti | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
Does my hon. Friend agree that those early votes to which the hon. Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bo...; Nick Timothy | 789 c236 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. What I was trying to say gently to the hon. Member for St...; Simon Hoare | 789 c237 (Link to this contribution)
As my hon. Friend considers the evolution of the Opposition’s justice policy, might he give consi...; Nick Timothy | 789 c237 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. Over a period, the construction of prisons has become nee...; Perran Moon | 789 c237 (Link to this contribution)
Further to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Kevin Bonavia), the last Co...; Nick Timothy | 789 cc237-8 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman resembles one of those Japanese soldiers found in 1950 who were still fighting...; John Hayes | 789 c238 (Link to this contribution)
There is a perpetual uncertainty about this issue, as my hon. Friend describes, but at the heart ...; Nick Timothy | 789 c238 (Link to this contribution)
I strongly agree with my right hon. Friend. The statistics show that between 1993 and 2012, our p...; Andrew Murrison | 789 c238 (Link to this contribution)
Left liberals may not like this, but it remains the case that the public expect the criminal just...; Nick Timothy | 789 c239 (Link to this contribution)
I agree; prison works. It works because it punishes the guilty, gives justice to the innocent and...; Roger Gale | 789 c239 (Link to this contribution)
In view of what my hon. Friend has just said, the constituents of Members across the House just w...; Nick Timothy | 789 cc239-240 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree. I am happy to say that if the Government want to bring forward emergency legi...; Julian Lewis | 789 c240 (Link to this contribution)
I am a little puzzled by this excuse that offenders can always be recalled if they breach the ter...; Nick Timothy | 789 cc240-1 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend puts his finger on the button. This is what we have been saying, and the Gov...; Jake Richards | 789 cc241-2 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the shadow Justice Secretary for his opening remarks. This is a profoundly serious matter...; John Hayes | 789 c242 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Gentleman is right: prisons were closed that, in my view, might have been kept open. Has...; Jake Richards | 789 c242 (Link to this contribution)
I appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s intervention. He has been consistent on this, although we...; Roger Gale | 789 c242 (Link to this contribution)
There are people in the Gallery and in the public out there who want to know that dangerous crimi...; Jake Richards | 789 c242 (Link to this contribution)
What we will not do is put our head in the sand, which would lead to another prison capacity cris...; Nick Timothy | 789 c242 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Jake Richards | 789 cc242-3 (Link to this contribution)
Let me make some progress first.
The Home Secretary recognised that alongside prison buildi...; Gagan Mohindra | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
A great man!; Jake Richards | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
Some Opposition Members still think he is a great man. I do not think that is a universal view on...; Mark Garnier | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
Can the Minister not understand that people out there, such as my constituent Leanne Vaughan—her ...; Jake Richards | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I understand. I meet victims all the time in my role at the Ministry of Justice. Before being ele...; Esther McVey | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
I took part in Rupert Lowe’s independent rape gang inquiry—; Caroline Nokes | 789 c243 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I think the right hon. Lady means the hon. Member for Great Yarmouth (Rupert Lowe).; Esther McVey | 789 c244 (Link to this contribution)
I took part in the independent rape gang inquiry, meeting victims who had waited such a long time...; Jake Richards | 789 c244 (Link to this contribution)
I am not sure which letters the right hon. Member is referring to, because none of the letters se...; Jess Brown-Fuller | 789 c244 (Link to this contribution)
Everybody would appreciate some clarity that when we are talking about the letters, those are spe...; Jake Richards | 789 c244 (Link to this contribution)
Absolutely. The hon. Lady’s call for us all to reflect on that will be taken up. I know that the ...; Nick Timothy | 789 c245 (Link to this contribution)
We have brought this motion to the House. The Labour party has accepted that motion—it will not c...; Jake Richards | 789 c245 (Link to this contribution)
As happened on numerous occasions under Boris Johnson and Theresa May, in Opposition day debates ...; John Hayes | 789 c245 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to the Minister for giving way a second time—he is very generous—and for his kind r...; Jake Richards | 789 c245 (Link to this contribution)
I appreciate the right hon. Gentleman’s kind words, personally, but I gently say that the Opposit...; Roger Gale | 789 c245 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Jake Richards | 789 cc245-6 (Link to this contribution)
I will not give way another time.
Once prisoners are released, offenders will be subject to...; Paula Barker | 789 c246 (Link to this contribution)
I understand what the Minister is saying about the looming prison crisis, but I just wonder wheth...; Jake Richards | 789 c246 (Link to this contribution)
I understand my hon. Friend’s intervention. Let us be clear that many of the offenders we are tal...; Julian Lewis | 789 c246 (Link to this contribution)
I have a fairly simple question. Does the Minister have a clear idea of what categories he regard...; Jake Richards | 789 c247 (Link to this contribution)
Sentencing judges always consider dangerousness and risk to the public, as probation officers do....; Caroline Nokes | 789 c247 (Link to this contribution)
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
4.43 pm; Jess Brown-Fuller | 789 cc247-9 (Link to this contribution)
May I first pay tribute to every victim and survivor of some of the most horrific and vile crimes...; Brian Leishman | 789 c249 (Link to this contribution)
It is right first to acknowledge the condition of our prison estate, the issues with capacity and...; John Hayes | 789 cc249-251 (Link to this contribution)
Disraeli, the great Conservative Prime Minister, said:
“Justice is truth in action.”
...; Carla Lockhart | 789 c251 (Link to this contribution)
Will the right hon. Member give way?; John Hayes | 789 c251 (Link to this contribution)
I am always happy to give way to the hon. Lady.; Carla Lockhart | 789 c251 (Link to this contribution)
I thank the right hon. Member for giving way; he is speaking very eloquently. The British people ...; John Hayes | 789 c251 (Link to this contribution)
Not for the first time, the hon. Lady has brought both insight and character to our consideration...; Paula Barker | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Gentleman is being very generous with his time. Does he agree that this House is a...; John Hayes | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Lady is right. If you will allow me to digress for a moment, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am ...; Kieran Mullan | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
We will be in a bizarre situation: the House will come together and express an unopposed view on ...; John Hayes | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
Before I deal with that directly, may I say that in championing the interests of victims, my hon....; Steve Barclay | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
If this is an issue of practicalities, as we have heard, can we not assume that there might be co...; John Hayes | 789 c252 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is right. The figures are stark: one in eight prisoners is a foreign nationa...; Roger Gale | 789 c253 (Link to this contribution)
I am sorry to labour this point, but given the consensus that I think there is in the House this ...; John Hayes | 789 c253 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is right. We are perfectly entitled to make that request of Government, as h...; Ashley Fox | 789 c253 (Link to this contribution)
Does my right hon. Friend recall that when the Government put forward their proposals, they said ...; John Hayes | 789 cc253-4 (Link to this contribution)
As my hon. Friend will know, the Sentencing Act facilitated early release. Did we not ask then fo...; Robbie Moore | 789 c254 (Link to this contribution)
As we all contribute to this debate, we must remember who is at the heart of it: those victims an...; Richard Foord | 789 c254 (Link to this contribution)
A constituent of mine is an official, a civil servant who works in support of the IICSA. Having h...; Robbie Moore | 789 c255 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely do share that frustration. If we are serious about addressing one of the biggest nat...; John Hayes | 789 c255 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend has done a heroic job in highlighting the perennial problem in his area and beyond...; Robbie Moore | 789 cc255-9 (Link to this contribution)
I entirely agree with my right hon. Friend. In a moment or two, I will read out some descriptions...; Neil Hudson | 789 c259 (Link to this contribution)
I thank my hon. Friend for yet another powerful contribution on this issue. He is an incredibly p...; Robbie Moore | 789 c260 (Link to this contribution)
I absolutely agree. The reality is that this should not be political—this is about the difference...; James Wild | 789 cc260-1 (Link to this contribution)
It is a privilege to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley and Ilkley (Robbie Moore), who...; Ashley Fox | 789 c261 (Link to this contribution)
Does my hon. Friend agree that in tackling the Crown court backlog, the Government were far too s...; James Wild | 789 cc261-2 (Link to this contribution)
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. The Lady Chief Justice appeared before parliamentary Comm...; John Hayes | 789 c262 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech. It would be straightforward for the Government to iss...; James Wild | 789 cc262-3 (Link to this contribution)
I agree with my right hon. Friend. It looked like Labour MPs were set to be whipped against this ...; John Cooper | 789 cc263-4 (Link to this contribution)
The Scottish Government famously take no lessons from anyone, but perhaps in sentencing we might ...; Gavin Williamson | 789 c264 (Link to this contribution)
As Members of Parliament, we often go around our constituencies and talk to many of our constitue...; John Hayes | 789 c264 (Link to this contribution)
There are times in this place when a combination of popular sentiment and the power of argument b...; Gavin Williamson | 789 c265 (Link to this contribution)
My right hon. Friend is absolutely correct. We have a moment of what I believe is cross-party uni...; Nusrat Ghani | 789 c265 (Link to this contribution)
In the wind-ups, I call the shadow Minister.
6 pm; Kieran Mullan | 789 cc265-7 (Link to this contribution)
It is a pleasure to close this crucial Opposition day debate, and I thank all Members who have ta...; Gavin Williamson | 789 c267 (Link to this contribution)
My hon. Friend had a very important UQ here in the Chamber, and Mr Speaker himself asked that Min...; Kieran Mullan | 789 cc267-8 (Link to this contribution)
Mr Speaker could not have been clearer about the reasonable expectations of Members of this House...; Robbie Moore | 789 c268 (Link to this contribution)
We are in this ridiculous scenario where after a huge, long fight, we now have an independent inq...; Kieran Mullan | 789 c268 (Link to this contribution)
I can tell my hon. Friend that it is not just a risk; it is a reality. A number of the victims we...; Julian Lewis | 789 c269 (Link to this contribution)
By coincidence, last night, BBC Three rebroadcast the three-part series about the online predator...; Kieran Mullan | 789 cc269-270 (Link to this contribution)
The only comfort I can give is that there are some exclusions to the early release scheme. If som...; John Hayes | 789 c270 (Link to this contribution)
The concept of parole is age-old, but parole was based on merit; people were considered for parol...; Kieran Mullan | 789 cc270-2 (Link to this contribution)
As I said, we inherited the existing system of automatic release. During our time in office, we s...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 cc272-3 (Link to this contribution)
I am grateful to all right hon. and hon. Members who have contributed to the debate. As Minister ...; Kieran Mullan | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
I have a really easy question. The Minister is talking about grooming gang perpetrators and the l...; Nusrat Ghani | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
Order. I know that this is a very sensitive debate, but we do not use “you” and “yours”.; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
There is no specific offence on grooming gangs. This Government have been absolutely clear that w...; Paula Barker | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
The Minister has stated from the Dispatch Box that victims have been failed, and I absolutely con...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
I have listened very carefully to this debate. I will always listen to victims, but I want to ens...; Jess Brown-Fuller | 789 c273 (Link to this contribution)
I seek clarification. The Minister said that the Government have added grooming as an aggravating...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
It adds to the seriousness of the offence—it is considered an aggravating feature when it comes t...; Jess Brown-Fuller | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
I do not expect the Minister to know the answer to this question, but I would appreciate it if af...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
I will ensure that the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Rother...; Steve Barclay | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
I am going to make some progress. Conservative Members have talked many times in this debate abou...; 789 c274 (Link to this contribution); Catherine Atkinson | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
I am going to make some progress. I did work experience with the police as a teenager, back when ...; 789 c274 (Link to this contribution); Nusrat Ghani | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
Order. It is clear that the Minister is not giving way just now; she may choose to do so in a mom...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
I trained to be a barrister and spent my first years in practice at a time when victims waited mo...; Kieran Mullan | 789 c274 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c275 (Link to this contribution)
I am going to continue to make some progress, but I will give way shortly.; Kieran Mullan | 789 c275 (Link to this contribution)
Will she give way on that point?; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c275 (Link to this contribution)
I want to finish the point, because it is essential that we know where we started, which was with...; Kieran Mullan | 789 c275 (Link to this contribution)
I have tried to have a fair hand with the victims who attended Parliament today. I invited every ...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 cc275-6 (Link to this contribution)
No one in the Government takes decisions about release from custody lightly. These decisions affe...; Gavin Williamson | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Could you advise me on whether the Minister, in summin...; Nusrat Ghani | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
The right hon. Member, who has been here longer than I have, fully understands that I am not resp...; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
What I wish to do is pay tribute to the work of our prison and probation officers, many of whom d...; Robbie Moore | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Catherine Atkinson | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
I will not give way.
A number of hon. Members have spoken passionately about victims, and r...; Robbie Moore | 789 c276 (Link to this contribution)
Will the Minister give way?; Catherine Atkinson | 789 cc276-7 (Link to this contribution)
I will not.
Licence conditions include exclusion zones and a non-contact requirement where ...; Mike Wood | 789 c277 (Link to this contribution)
claimed to move the closure (Standing Order No. 36).
Question put forthwith, That the Quest...; Nick Timothy | 789 c277 (Link to this contribution)
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I seek your advice. I listened very carefully to the M...; Nusrat Ghani | 789 c277 (Link to this contribution)
The hon. Member has most definitely put his point on the record, but it is not a matter for the C...
Subjects: Children Abuse Custodial treatment Ethnic groups Rape Prisoners' release Offences against children Victims Sentencing Prison accommodation
Legislation: Sentencing Act 2026
Link: View this Parliamentary proceeding on hansard.parliament.uk

Early Release of Prisoners

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