Draft Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Suitability for Fixed Term Recall) Order 2025

Parliament voted on 2 July 2025 to approve the Draft Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Suitability for Fixed Term Recall) Order 2025, passing it by 333 ayes to 168 noes. The order changes the rules for recalled prisoners, meaning that most offenders serving sentences of under four years who are recalled to custody will now be automatically released after 28 days, rather than waiting for a Parole Board hearing. The government moved the measure; all opposition came from across the chamber. The order addresses the sharply rising recall population, which the Prisons Minister Sir Nicholas Dakin noted had grown from 6,000 in 2018 to 13,600, placing severe strain on an already overcrowded prison estate. By automating release after 28 days for the majority of recalled short-sentence offenders, the government aims to free up prison places for what it describes as the most dangerous offenders. The main exceptions to automatic release are offenders managed under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) at levels 2 or 3, those charged with a new offence, and those linked to terrorism or national security. The vote divided sharply along party lines. All 326 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted backed the order; all 87 Conservative MPs who voted opposed it, as did all 62 Liberal Democrats, all five Reform UK members, all four Plaid Cymru members, and all four Democratic Unionist Party members who voted. Three Green MPs and three independents voted with the government; three independents voted against. There were no notable cross-party rebellions in either direction.