Cut prisoner numbers by 40,000 senior politicians urge

The number of prisoners in England and Wales should be cut by almost a half, two former home secretaries and a former deputy prime minister have urged.

The call for action follows last week's riot at HMP Birmingham, which saw hundreds of inmates wreak havoc in the jail over more than 12 hours of chaos.

Cut prisoner numbers by 40,000 senior politicians urge Credit: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/PA Images

Former Tory home secretary Kenneth Clarke, Liberal Democrat MP Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister in the coalition government and Jacqui Smith, called on the Government to act to curb the "escalating prison population", in a letter published in The Times.

The cross-party trio said the population of prisons in England and Wales had "gone well beyond what is safe or sustainable" and that numbers should be reduced from around 85,000 to 45,000.

HMP Birmingham Credit: BPM media

The politicians said the violence was "a wake-up call for this country". The letter said: