Ministers told they risk more miscarriages of justice by not backing bill to replace indefinite jail terms with fixed ones

Peers have said the government is failing to deal with a miscarriage of justice akin to the Post Office scandal, after ministers refused to back legislation that would give new sentences to thousands of prisoners jailed indefinitely.

James Timpson, the prisons minister, said the 2,964 people currently serving indeterminate sentences would in future have a better chance of being released, with more regular reviews of their readiness every six months.