I’ve been pretty vocal about leaving the Labour party, feeling disenfranchised by the political system, and most recently, spoiling my ballot. But I am all too happy to point out, and congratulate, good news and positive action too. And Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of James Timpson as the new UK Prisons Minister, is a giant pat on the back, that I am all too happy to give. I have always been a fan of James Timpson; of his innovative business model, his iconic stores, his undying love of kindness, and most of all, his track record of employing thousands of ex-prisoners in his hundreds of Timpson stores. In fact, I actually gave him (one of just three) TheTinMen Tin Heart Awards, many years ago. But James is not a philanthropist, and his business is not a charity. James unequivocally asserts that his employment of ex-prisoners is good for profits, and makes absolute commercial sense too. ‘Timpsons’ is a £200,000,000 business juggernaut, and an iconic, trusted brand to the British high street, and the British people. But what James has shown the world is infinitely more valuable than anything measured in pounds and pense; and that is the power of a second chance. Incredibly, of his 1,500 formerly incarcerated employees, only 4 (!!) have gone back to prison – a recidivism rate of 0.26%. And so with that, I literally cannot think of anyone more worthy of the role of Prisoners Minister, a position that can transform the very tectonics of how the carceral system works, and how prisoners are rehabilitated. It is no secret that our prison system, with more than 95% of incarnated people being men, is broken; usually making criminality worse, trapping people inside a vicious cycle of incarceration, violence, addiction, and neglect. But this could be about to change. So I would like to share my support for James, and Prime Minister Starmer, for making the bold move of appointing such an impressive pioneer of prison reform. Good luck @jamestimpsoncobbler

2024-07-10