“The Justice Secretary does not currently have the figure for how many of the 700 prisoners released early on Thursday have been tagged.”

Alex NorrisNews reportOctober 4, 2026Read the original

The claim was made by Alex Norris on 4 October 2026 during a GB News interview about the Conservative Party conference.

Our verdict

Unverified

We could not verify the claim that the Justice Secretary does not have the figure for how many of the 700 prisoners released early on Thursday have been tagged.

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What we found

We looked for an official statement from the Justice Secretary, a transcript of Alex Norris’s remarks, and government data on the early‑release cohort. No source provided the number of prisoners, the tagging status, or confirmed that the Justice Secretary lacks the figure. The only source we found – an Instagram post from GB News – discusses IPP sentences and does not mention the early release or tagging data. Because the necessary evidence is missing, the claim cannot be confirmed or refuted.

The evidence

Background
The Instagram post from GB News talks about IPP sentences but does not mention the early release of 700 prisoners or any tagging information.
instagram.com· GB News on Instagram: 'These sentences were wrong...'

What we could not confirm

Whether exactly 700 prisoners were released early on the Thursday in question.
Whether the Justice Secretary has or lacks the figure for how many of those prisoners have been tagged.
The exact wording of Alex Norris’s statement.

How we checked

We searched official government releases, parliamentary records, news reports and transcripts for the specific numbers and the Justice Secretary’s comment, but found no public evidence covering these points. We reviewed 1 relevant source.

Help us check this claim

We could not find enough public evidence to confirm or refute this claim. If you know of an official record, dataset, transcript or report that settles it, send us the link. We review every submission and update this fact check when the evidence changes the picture.

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