The camera was rolling for Andy Burnham’s first cabinet meeting – and within minutes, his defence secretary was heard joking that the new justice secretary “wants to let them all out”. The remark, caught on Tuesday as broadcasters filmed ministers chatting ahead of the session, has forced apologies from both Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, and a public rebuke from the prime minister.
In the footage, first published by Metro journalist Craig Munro, Streeting can be heard telling Mahmood – who remains home secretary in Burnham’s reshuffled cabinet – that Alex Norris, the newly promoted justice secretary, “wants to let them all out”. Mahmood laughs and replies “You know who’s boss!”. The exchange came just days after Burnham appointed Norris to succeed Mahmood as justice secretary, a role in which she had overseen an early prisoner release scheme to ease overcrowding.
“PM Burnham rebukes Streeting and Mahmood after they joked about releasing prisoners on camera.”
Asked by reporters whether it was appropriate for ministers to joke about releasing prisoners, Burnham said: “No it’s not, and certainly that’s been acknowledged and apologies have been made.” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander backed the prime minister, saying it was “right” that Streeting had apologised.
Streeting later posted on X that he had been referencing a joke Theresa May used to make about Ken Clarke when they held the same cabinet posts under a Conservative government. “I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new justice secretary,” he wrote. “But I appreciate these are very serious issues and am sorry for any offence inadvertently caused by this moment of levity.” Mahmood issued a similar apology, saying she did not want “anyone to mistake this moment of levity for a lack of serious intent”.
The incident has given fresh ammunition to the Conservatives, who oppose the early release policy. Leader Kemi Badenoch accused the pair of making light of a scheme that, she wrote on X, “let[s] criminals out of prison early”. She added: “While Andy Burnham’s cabinet are joking about letting criminals out of prison early, Conservatives are listening to victims and will continue to fight this disgusting policy.”
The gaffe risks overshadowing the early days of Burnham’s premiership, which began after Sir Keir Starmer resigned following Labour’s poor local election results. Burnham has appointed John Healey as chancellor, Ed Miliband as foreign secretary, and given senior roles to Louise Haigh, Angela Rayner and Jonathan Reynolds. But it is the joke about prisoners – caught on camera and instantly viral – that has set the tone for a government already under pressure to show it can be trusted with public safety.