Tough-on-crime brigade look scarce as convicts win a break from crumbling prison system

There are times when even the Tories are banged to rights. Prisons are one of them. You’d have thought Conservative MPs would have been up in arms at the government’s decision to free a second tranche of prisoners under its early release scheme little more than a month after the first. Law and order is meant to be a Tory thing. The answer to any crime – apart from inciting rioters to burn down buildings with asylum seekers in them – is to lock people up and throw away the key. Turn the whole of Milton Keynes into one vast prison estate. Bring back capital punishment.

But not this time. As the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, prepared to give a statement to the Commons on Tuesday, there were just seven Tory backbenchers in the chamber. And none of the Reform crew. Presumably with the presidential election imminent, they have more interest in what’s going on Stateside. Or maybe Nigel Farage has finally got round to acquainting himself with Clacton. Where was all the faux outrage? Where were the temper tantrums?