Robert Jenrick warned over Southport attack remarks in first outing as shadow justice secretary

Robert Jenrick used his first outing as shadow justice secretary to inflame anger over the Southport murders which sparked riots across England during the summer.

After a leadership campaign where Mr Jenrick pitched himelf as the champion of the Tory right, Mr Jenrick appeared to give credence to conspiracy theories that information was withheld from the public over the Southport case. Others have used this to justify some of the violence which scarred Britain in August.

Mr Jenrick also described police fire arms officer sergeant Martyn Blake, who was cleared of murder in killing Chris Kaba, as “a hero”.

The failed Tory leadership candidate picked up in justice questions where he left off in his campaign to replace Rishi Sunak by tacking to the right.

Questioning justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, he noted: “Jonathan Hall KC, the reviewer of terrorist laws, has said that the authorities should put as much information as they can in the public domain to maintain public trust in terrorist cases, which have the highest public interest. In the void, misinformation takes hold and that diminishes public trust.

“While of course respecting the judicial process and not commenting on the individual facts of the case, can the Secretary of State explain the reported two-week delay between the CPS making a charging decision with respect to the alleged Southport attacker and it being announced to the general public?”

Ms Mahmood hit back reminding Mr Jenrick the Southport killings are a live case.

She said: “May I remind him that we do not comment on cases that are sub judice? That includes commentary that everyone is aware relates to cases currently going through our legal processes. What I will say is that those are independent decisions for the Crown Prosecution Service, which ultimately decides what charges to bring.

“In live police investigations into complex cases, it is appropriate that those investigations, the charging decisions and, ultimately, the cases are done by the independent parts of the process and that there is no interference from government.”

The exhanges came after Mr Jenrick suffered an embarrassing putdown in his first Commons question as shadow justice secretary.

Hours after his appointment was confirmed by new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, the hardline right-winger sought to attack Labour’s record in government from the despatch box.

In his first intervention in his new post, Mr Jenrick lashed out at the party’s early release scheme for prisoners to free up space in the overcrowded estate.

Mr Jenrick said that, since July’s general election, “the only group this Labour government’s popularity has increased with is criminals”.

“How many domestic abusers and sex offenders who were released under their early release scheme have gone on to reoffend, and would they like to apologise to the victims?” he asked.

But justice minister Alex Davies-Jones gave Mr Jenrick short shrift, urging him to “show some humility” and pointing to the Conservative Party’s record in government.

In a brutal riposte, Ms Davies-Jones said: “I was going to congratulate the right honourable gentleman in his role, but he seems to have a very short memory, and I believe it is he who should be apologising to the country as a whole for his government’s woeful absolute misuse of our justice system and our prisons.

“Under the previous government’s [early release] scheme, there were zero exemptions that could protect the public.

“This government put in serious exemptions to prevent sex offenders from being released onto our streets, preventing those convicted of serious violent crimes from being released onto our streets.

“And I believe the honourable gentleman should maybe have a bit of humility.”

Mr Jenrick hit back, claiming that his Conservative government built more prison places than any Labour government “in living memory”. But, with prisons overflowing, and a second wave of early prisoner releases last month, Mr Jenrick said that “we need to go further”.

In the latest example of Labour’s relentless focus on the Tory record from 2010 to 2024, Ms Davies Jones again said Mr Jenrick appeared to have “forgotten who was in power for the last 14 years and who failed to build any prison places”.

“Just 500 extra prison places were built under his government’s watch,” she added.

“We are the party of law and order, and I think the right honourable gentleman needs to look at his previous record.”

The row comes after two waves of early releases since Labour came to power saw thousands of prisoners freed early to free up space in jails.

But it was a bruising first outing for Mr Jenrick, who fell short in the contest to succeed Rishi Sunak and was offered the justice brief as a consolation prize.

His appointment was part of a bid by Ms Badenoch to reunite the Conservatives after a fractious leadership campaign.

An ally of Mr Jenrick said: “Rob thinks the party needs to come together and take the fight to Labour. Unity could not be more important. He’s eager to expose Labour’s dreadful record on law and order.”