Tories plan to build more jails

Michael Howard today put crime at the centre of the Tory election campaign with a promise to restore law and order to Britain.

The Tory leader said he would build more prisons and pledged that every criminal would serve their sentence in full.

He said Britain had slipped into a moral quagmire under Labour. To restore public confidence, the Conservatives would demand judges set a maximum and minimum sentence for every offender.

Every criminal would serve the minimum. But inmates seen as a danger or who behave badly would have to serve the maximum.

The plan would be backed by an ambitious prison building programme which would see 20,000 more places by 2010. "Build more prisons and fewer criminals will be free to commit crimes. More prison places will enable a Conservative government to introduce honesty in sentencing. Sentencing today is a charade. In fact it is worse than that. It is a lie," he said.

He added: "When criminals are caught, they need to be punished. We have to send a clear, unequivocal message to criminals - actions have consequences. If you commit crime you will be punished."

Mr Howard said the sentencing guidelines would be approved by MPs. At the moment they are reviewed by the Sentencing Guidelines Council. But the Tories say the Commons Home Affairs committee should have the final say.

Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "With over half of prisoners reoffending, creating even more prisoners will just create more criminals.

"The real tough policy is to tackle the causes of reoffending rather than pandering to a Right-wing agenda."

Labour questioned how the Conservatives would pay for the expansion in prison places.

"The Government has brought in indeterminate sentences for serious sexual and violent offenders in order to protect the public.

"This is the Government that has already provided 17,000 extra prison places with 3,000 more opening shortly," said a spokesman.