Richard Burgon claims Tories are in 'pockets of the billionaires'

Richard Burgon argued that the "failed" privatisation "sent re-offending up and made working-class communities less safe", as he raised the issue in the Commons.

But his accusations were dismissed by Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, who responded: "We're not ideological, he is", adding that the Government is "committed to reforming and improving the Probation Service" and obtaining "maximum value for money".

Speaking during Commons justice questions, Burgon said: "The free market fundamentalists in the Conservative Party sent re-offending up and made working-class communities less safe with their privatisation of probation.

"Despite acknowledging that this privatisation failed, under new plans the Tories are still insisting on handing hundreds of millions of pounds over to private companies.

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"Is that because they are ideologically wedded to the free market or is it because the Tory Party is in the pockets of the billionaires and the private corporations?"

Buckland replied: "The only fundamentalist I see is sitting on the benches dead ahead. This Government is committed to reforming and improving the Probation Service by creating a truly national framework.

"I make no apology at all for wanting to harness the ability of small organisations and charities who specialise in rehabilitation, working together with our National Probation Service. We're not ideological, he is."

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Burgon called on the Government to pledge that any "corporate giant involved in the probation privatisation scandal will be excluded as they should be from the new probation contracts".

He said: "I'm afraid, even though they don't like it, what I said is in fact the truth. They even had a justice minister who was a spin doctor for the private sector justice giant Serco.

"But if they want to show they actually care about public safety, will they guarantee today that any corporate giant involved in the probation privatisation scandal will be excluded as they should be from the new probation contracts? No waffle please, a simple yes or no will suffice."

Buckland replied: "(He) tries very, very hard to pin the ideological cap upon me and the front bench. I think he's, I'm afraid, playing a very old record that needs to be changed.

"We take an entirely new approach to probation. We will look indeed at all providers and we will judge them upon past record, yes, but we want to make sure that we obtain maximum value for money, harnessing the best of our National Probation Service with the work of the third sector and the voluntary sector, and indeed the private sector where appropriate."