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Robert Jenrick calls on prison officers to be armed with 'lethal weapons’ - as he brands early release scheme ‘pathetic’
1 June 2025, 12:54 | Updated: 1 June 2025, 13:08
Watch Again: Lewis Goodall speaks to Robert Jenrick | 1/6/25
Shadow defence secretary Robert Jenrick has called for prison officers to be armed with "lethal weapons" following a string of recent attacks by inmates.
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Speaking with Lewis Goodall on Sunday, Jenrick insisted that now is the time to "respond" to attacks on prison officers.
Suggesting that specially trained officers in maximum security prisons across the UK should have access to "armouries' filled with "guns" and "ammunition", the shadow defence secretary insisted waiting for back-up is often "totally irresponsible".
"Let’s make sure they have tasers, they have baton rounds," he told Lewis, calling on officers to be armed so that the government "have the backs of those men and women".
Challenged by Lewis on the hypocrisy of his viral video confronting tube fare dodgers in the wake of admitting he deliberately and 'unlawfully' helped a Tory donor avoid £45m tax bill, Jenrick suggested the public are not interested in his past misdemeanours.
It comes hours after he launched a broadside against Transport for London after he broke their rules to film himself confronting suspected fare dodgers in the capital.
Robert Jenrick confronts fare dodgers
"I think our prisons are in a perilous position right now and I'm warning that unless the government do act, step up, we're going to see a prison officer get killed or held hostage or a terrorist attack planned from within a prison," Jenrick insisted on arming officers.
"And don't just take my word for it," he said.
"This is something that the Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor himself has said when he warned that drones could be used to take weapons, explosives, knives into prisons, hand them to our most dangerous prisoners like Islamist extremists, and use them against the brave men and women who work in our prisons."
Adding it was "totally irresponsible to wait, potentially an hour or more, for backup to arrive at that jail," Jenrick's proposal would allow officers to "regain control".
Branding Labour's early release scheme in response to prison overcrowding "pathetic", the Conservative MP for Newark was pushed by Lewis on whether the tory policies contributed to the current state of the UK prison system.
Swerving questions, Jenrick eventually conceded that his party "could have done more" to prevent prison overcrowding.
"What I'm saying today is: let's respond and have the backs of those men and women. Let's ensure they have Tasers, they have baton rounds, they've got the high collar stab proof vests that they need to keep themselves safe.
"And in the most difficult situations, in our maximum security prisons, have specialist officers who can go to secure armouries and access lethal weapons when they need to.
"And that might be in a situation where the prisoner themselves have a weapon. And it would not be right. In fact, it would be totally irresponsible to wait potentially an hour or more for backup to arrive at that jail before the governor and the officers can regain control.
"In the most difficult situations, in our maximum security prisons, have specialist officers that can go to secure armouries and access lethal weapons."
"That might be a situation where the prisoner themselves has a weapon," he said.
Speaking further on his recent video which shows the MP confronting fare dodgers on London's tube network, Jenrick admitted: "sometimes you’ve got to get stuck in when you’re in opposition".
He added his intention was to "shame the authorities into doing more".
"People like me are fed up," he insisted.
Speaking on Sunday, the Conservative MP also reiterated his support for leader Kemi Badenoch, insisting he remains "right behind" the tory leader.
