Like many teenagers, my 17-year-old son was uncertain about his career path. He was interested in an apprenticeship as a way of entering the labour market but fierce competition and unrealistic experience requirements for entry-level positions meant he struggled to secure a placement. I was concerned about how the rejections may impact his confidence and motivation. That was when I contacted James Timpson, CEO of the retailer Timpson.
I had worked with James at Timpson headquarters near Manchester in the early 2000s. He was a likeable and easy-to-get-along-with boss. When I left my job in the Human Resources department, he assured me I would always be welcomed back to the Timpson family. Despite it being some 20 years since we had worked together, James stayed true to his word. Within days of me explaining the situation, my son had started a paid training program at a local Max Spielman store, part of the Timpson Group. He learned digital printing skills from a supportive team of coworkers and gained a valuable understanding of customer service. The experience did wonders for his confidence, job prospects, and bank account, as he was well-paid. With a newfound interest in digital photography and cameras, he successfully secured a place on a creative and digital media production diploma course.
As a lifelong Labour supporter and member of the party, I was thrilled with the result of the general election. But I have had reservations about the party’s direction under Keir Starmer, especially after the pledge to abolish tuition fees was dropped. But hearing about Stamer’s appointment of James Timpson as the new Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation, restored some of my faith in Labour’s leadership.
James Timpson has long been committed to rehabilitating ex-offenders and integrating them into the workforce. Believing in giving people a second chance, around 10 per cent of the Timpson workforce is made up of people with criminal convictions.
As a result of tougher sentences and court backlogs, the UK’s prison population has surged in recent decades, reaching a record of 88,225 in England and Wales as of October 2023. Alongside leading the Timpson Group, James Timpson chairs the Prison Reform Trust, which aims to reduce imprisonment and improve conditions for inmates and families. He believes only a third of people in prison should be there. During an interview with Channel 4 News earlier this year, Timpson described Britain as being “addicted to sentencing and punishment.”
“A lot of people in prison in my view shouldn’t be there, and they are there for far too long. It’s getting worse. There are people serving sentences for longer than they have been alive,” he said.
The CEO pointed to how Holland has closed half of its prisons and has a community sentencing system in place that keeps people in society and reduces re-offending.
“Custodial sentences aren’t always the right way,” he said.
In an interview with LBC, Keir Starmer was asked if he agreed with James Timpson’s view that only a third of prisoners should be in custody. The Prime Minister replied that Timpson “hasn’t just talked the talk” but “has actually walked the walk,” highlighting the CEO’s substantial investment in prison-related issues over the years. Starmer reiterated the need to re-evaluate the use of prisons and to address the high rate of re-offending.
The appointment of non-political ministers like James Timpson who have not been elected by the public and are not an MP, is a bold move by Starmer. It shows his willingness to bring outside expertise into ministerial roles to create a “government of all talents.” This tactic, similar to Gordon Brown’s in 2007, signals a pragmatic and progressive approach to criminal justice, focusing on rehabilitation rather than harsher sentences.
More importantly, this empathetic strategy focused on giving people a second chance reflects the government’s commitment to traditional socialist values and the belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed and contribute to society, values I worried had been lost under the current Labour leadership. And thanks to James Timpson, my son has found a career path and is now looking forward to starting a course in digital and creative media production.
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