Newscast

The programme examined the Conservative Party Conference and whether the party is recovering. It reported that Kemi Badenoch's personal popularity has improved and she appears more secure as leader. Polling showed Conservatives at 19%, Reform UK at 23% and Labour at 26%, with Badenoch's personal ratings rising and Nigel Farage's falling. Badenoch has set out what she calls classic old school conservative beliefs in a book, The Right Way, arguing for a smaller state, lower taxes and less generous welfare. She announced a policy to remove the childcare cliff edge at £100,000, so parents earning above that threshold would not lose all free childcare entitlement, saying the state should be strong and do what people cannot do for themselves.

On prisons, the programme reported that the Conservatives want to build 50,000 more prison places, while the prison population is just under 90,000. Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives built about 14,000 places in government but that after closures the net increase was only 500. It also discussed the government's U-turn on plans for some criminal trials in England and Wales to be heard without a jury. Under Keir Starmer, the plan had been to scrap many jury trials for serious cases, but this was changed to scrapping only a small number, with most still going ahead. The government still faces court backlogs. One case with alleged offences in 2023 will go to trial in 2029, and former Tory MP Craig Williams, who pleaded guilty to election gambling, will be sentenced in 2028 because others in the case pleaded not guilty. Justice Secretary Alex Norris would not set a date or target for reducing the backlog.

The broadcast also covered prison overcrowding and early release. More than 700 prisoners were released early this week. Ministers had said those released would be tagged and monitored, but when asked how many had actually been tagged, Alex Norris said he did not have the figure. He said there was now a presumption on tagging but it could take time. The programme reported that more than 5,000 people who should have been tagged on the latest statistics had not been, and more than 1,500 people meant to be tagged as a condition of release were not tagged. A report this week said more than half of taggings do not happen on time, with some released prisoners waiting up to five months for a tag.