There’s only one PM candidate you can trust to keep terrorists in jail

THE revelation that the London Bridge killer was a convicted terrorist, who had been released ridiculously early from prison, really ought to concentrate minds among politicians of all parties.

The policy of early release is questionable in all cases. It forces judges to lie when they pronounce sentence, because almost nobody will serve more than half of the term handed out. It results in criminals spending such short times in prison that they can neither be deterred nor rehabilitated.

But in the case of the killer Usman Khan – actually convicted of plotting terrible violence, and supposedly locked away for many years – there is a far greater issue.

The protection of the public has been sacrificed as part of a long-running cost-cutting exercise under way for more than 15 years, under various governments.

So far – and voters should take careful note of this – the only mind that seems to have been concentrated by this event is that of Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister yesterday said, in quite unequivocal terms to which he has clearly bound himself, that the system of early release, as it stands, must end, and will end if he is given the power to do so.

This has to be one of the most important events of the Election campaign – a genuinely serious response to a terrible event.

It would be hard for Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the SNP, with their endless records of weakness and retreat on criminal justice, to match Mr Johnson’s promise. It will be quite unthinkable for Jeremy Corbyn to do so.

His long sojourn on the wild fringes of the Left has involved scores of unwise statements and actions, which make it impossible for him even to appear as a credible friend of tough justice or a credible foe of terrorism – let alone for him actually to be either of these things.

Here, for all serious people concerned with the safety of the country, is a totally clear dividing line between the parties on a major issue of urgent policy. British governments have for many years been two-faced about punishing criminals.

While Home Secretaries and Prime Ministers have supported public calls for tougher sentencing, the judiciary has done all it can to keep numbers down in our bursting prisons.

Judges are under huge pressure to pass non-custodial sentences, and to keep prison terms short.

This has gone much too far. Now is the chance to end it.

Boris Johnson’s completely straightforward words yesterday are solid-gold, bankable pledges. First: ‘We must keep violent offenders and terrorists in jail longer and end the automatic early release system.’

Second: ‘If you are convicted of a serious terrorist offence, there should be a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 years.’

All that is necessary for these sensible promises to become reality is for there to be a majority Conservative government. All that is necessary for them to be pushed to one side is a hung Parliament or a Labour majority.

The choice has always been clear. Over Brexit, over the economy, over taxation, over the NHS and keeping the Union together, Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have been the sensible party. Now, by responding with such resolute sureness to the horror of terrorist murder on our streets, Mr Johnson has become the only wise choice for anyone – and that is surely all of us – concerned with national security and the fight against violent crime.