Prisons prepared for the return of Isil fighters

Britain’s prisons are being readied for an expected influx of Isil jihadists returning to Britain from Syria, the Justice Secretary has disclosed.

David Gauke said “a lot of work” is being done by the authorities to ensure they are ready if large groups of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) fighters attempt to come back.

They could soon be Britain’s “problem” after Isil was largely defeated in Syria and Iraq, he said. In an interview in the Evening Standard, Mr Gauke did not reveal how many could return, although the Government has previously estimated that 850 Uklinked individuals went to Syria.

Around 15 per cent of those are thought to have been killed, while around half have already returned.