Prisoners to be locked up in laundry rooms under Labour plans to increase space

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published September 1, 2026 11:48am Updated September 1, 2026 11:48am Men’s prisons in England are running close to capacity, according to the Ministry of Justice (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Prison laundry rooms, offices and storage cupboards will be turned into cells as Labour tries out new ways of tackling the capacity crisis. The lack of space for prisoners has been one of the first major challenges for new Prime Minister Andy Burnham – and he has piled on additional pressure by ruling out more categories of offenders for early release. On Sunday, Burnham confirmed that those locked up for all forms of manslaughter – including the killers of PC Andrew Harper – would not be freed early. The move means 1,400 extra prisoners will remain behind