Justice secretary Alex Chalk was blasted over the state of Britain’s prisons this morning as the political row following Daniel Khalife’s escape intensifies.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips, the justice secretary was told prisons “are designed for disaster” following the recapture of the 21-year-old former soldier who spent three days on the run.
Khalife escaped HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday after strapping himself to the bottom of a food delivery lorry in a daring move that has provoked furious public debate over state of the country’s prison system.
He was arrested on Saturday by plain-clothes officers in the Chiswick area following a three day manhunt by authorities.
Ministers are facing criticism over the conditions and security of the jail with an independent inquiry due to investigate the placement and categorisation of all inmates.
Appearing on Sky News, Phillips told Chalk: “We don’t have enough prison staff – you’re trying to recruit more.
“Of the ones that we do have, a lot of them are off sick, with the number of sick days claimed since 2018 annually is up 60%.
“And here is the most concerning thing perhaps. Of those who are on duty, a high proportion are inexperienced. Overall one in six are in their first year in the job.
He added: “Add it up – isn’t this a system designed for a disaster?”
Chalk, who insisted the government has invested heavily in the prison service and is prioritising modernisation, revealed that 40 inmates had been moved from Wandsworth following Khalife’s escape.
He said: “The condition of our prisons is of course very important. This is the government that has done more to put its money where its mouth is to invest very heavily in our prison service.”
Chalk added: “We accept that they are phenomenal people who do an extremely difficult job. We value them hugely and I really want to encourage people into the service.”
It comes after Michelle Donelan was caught overstating the increase in the number of prison officers.
Responding to concerns prompted by the former soldier’s escape, science and technology minister Michelle Donelan told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that the number of “frontline” prisons had “increased by 20% in the last year.”
But charity Full Fact confirmed that the figures provided were far from accurate and concluded that the overall increase in the number of full-time equivalent band 3-5 officers was 3.2%.
Related: Minister caught ‘overstating’ prison officer numbers during interview