richard ford

Romeo told Civil Service World that the National Offender Management Service had a business assurance board designed to “give me the senior responsible officer the assurance this is going to work and isn’t taking any unnecessary risk"

In 2014 Ms Romeo said of the project:“My job as senior responsible officer is to make sure we deliver the benefits of the programme. We need to really understand what’s going on – and there are no prizes for not listening.”

Antonia Romeo, tipped as next Cabinet Secretary, was senior responsible officer for Transforming Rehabilitation which semi privatised probation service - later reversed after described as “irredeemably flawed”.

A prisoner in Brixton jail observed it was ‘easier to get spice in here than to get paracetamol for a toothache’;another said that there were more drugs available on B wing than on the streets, Independent Monitoring Board report says.

Independent Monitoring Board at Millsike jail which opened in March last year has written to prisons minister expressing “serious concerns” at impact of opening and early operation of the jail.

Eight months after jail opened IMB members still see doors and gates being left open, and inconsistent gate securty at the Mitie run prison .

Roll checks at new Millsike jail in Yorkshire at times take 5 hours to complete resulting in men locked up for extended periods, late meals, missed healthcare appointments, work, education and visits, Independent Monitoring Board says.

Charles Taylor,accuses prison service leaders of failings. “The appalling outcomes we found at Swaleside, holding some of the most dangerous men in the country, represent serious failings by leaders in the prison service to address the systemic problems at this troubled jail.”

Charles Taylor, chief inspector of prisons , criticises leadership of prison system saying it was  “ shameful that such an important and risky prison (Swaleside ) had been left without a permanent governor for such a long period”.

Swaleside prison was filthy, with widespread graffiti, fire damage, broken furniture, dilapidated flooring and mouldy showers, says inspection report

Officers at Swaleside jail failing to impose order and control; many lacked experience and were burnt out and demoralised from constant high levels of violence, and chronic, long-term understaffing, report says.

Drones, bringing in drugs and sometimes knives , exacerbating instability at Swaleside jail where there had not been a permanent governor for many months in 2024 and 2025, inspection report says.

Dangerously unsafe conditions for prisoners and staff at Swaleside prison leads to jail inspectorate demanding emergency government action .

2025 Shabana Mahmood considers merging current 43 police forces in England and Wales into 12 regional forces. 2005 Charles Clarke announces plans to reduce number of police forces from 43 to around 12 after report says existing structure “no longer fit for purpose”.

Albanians top of enforced returns on 2,481 followed by Romanians, Brazilians , Indians and Poles and Indians, Brazilians and Albanians accounted for half of voluntary returns, says Home Office.

Enforced returns of migrants wit no right to be in UK rose by 22 per cent Sept 24 to Sept 25 to 9,382 and voluntary returns by 7 per cent to 27,075, says Home Office

At end of September 2025, 36,273 asylum seekers in hotels up 2 per cent on September 24 but 35 per cent lower than peak of 56,000 in September 2024, says Home Office.

Nepal has replaced the United States in the top five nationalities granted student visas to come to UK, says Home Office

Almost 100,000 Indians granted student visas in yr to September 25, followed by 89,000 to Chinese and 36,000 to Pakistanis. Big increase (89 per cent) to 20,000 visas for Nepalese to study and 56 per cent rise to 30,000 to Nigerians, Home Office says.

UK’s asylum application total of 110,000 in yr to September compares with Eurostat figures of 190,00 in Germany , 158,000 in France, 155,000 in Spain and 137,000 in Italy in year to June 25, according to Home Office.,