The government’s pledge to build 20,000 new prison places by the mid-2020s, which was a key Conservative manifesto pledge at the 2019 election, has been quietly dropped. Less than half will have been delivered by March 2025, according to official projections. So far, 5,500 places have been delivered. Plans for three new prisons in Lancashire, Leicestershire and Buckinghamshire have all been delayed owing to problems gaining planning permission.