Paragraph 2
The UK's
secretary, Shabana Mahmood, warned of a "
breakdown in law and order" if prisons reached capacity. Ms Mahmood said: "Prisons are on the
of collapse". If space ran out, there would be nowhere to put those arrested or
sentenced. The justice system would be overloaded. Mahmood said there would be "
running amok, smashing windows, robbing shops and setting
alight". There are currently only 1,451 places available. She blamed
leader Rishi Sunak and prisons ministers for a "
of duty" and for decimating the system. She called them: "The guilty men who put their
careers ahead of the safety and
of our country."
