With nearly 600 people murdered in a decade by convicted criminals under probation supervision, the Government is failing in a basic duty to keep us safe.
That shocking toll, plus figures revealing more than 500 other serious offences a year are committed by those on probation, is evidence of a lawlessness and disorder crisis.
Law graduate Zara Aleena, stalked and murdered by Jordan McSweeney – freed only nine days earlier after wrongly being deemed medium rather than high risk by a private firm monitoring him – isn’t the only victim.
The Tory obsession with a disastrous probation privatisation, championed by then Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, which they have since admitted was wrong, is far from the only problem.
Dedicated staff across the criminal law sector – police, courts, prisons, parole and probation – are too few and overworked.
Justice on the cheap isn’t justice for victims of avoidable, terrible crimes. After 13 years in power, the Tories must own their woeful record and be held responsible for their failings.
A precious year
Raising the retirement age to 68 on an accelerated timescale would cheat poorer people of a precious year’s state pension.
The increase would disproportionately harm those on low incomes when the longevity gap with the rich on private pensions is nine years.
Loaded Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt might not miss the cash when a chap living in a posher part of London is likely to live to 88.
But a man who is, say, living in Blackpool and expected to die before 80 certainly would.
The Tories taking us from 66 to 67 in 2028, then 68 in 2035 instead of 2046, would be the Great British Retirement Robbery.
Ton of talent
With former Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli waltzing in to replace shamed David Walliams, Britain’s Got Talent has set the stage for a new era.
Well, a cha-cha-change is as good as a rest.
