With the Clink Charity’s flagship restaurant at HMP Brixton at risk of closure, I have written to the Ministry of Justice, urging “full and fair consideration” of the charity’s contract renewal bid.

Since opening in 2014, The Clink Restaurant at HMP Brixton has frequently placed among the Top 10 restaurants in London on TripAdvisor. It received a Travellers’ Choice Award in 2022, placing it in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide.

The charity, which trains prisoners in catering, has had a positive impact on prisoner rehabilitation, with graduates of their programme 65.6% less likely to reoffend.

In 2023, The Clink trained 830 students across UK prisons, with 52% securing employment after release. However, the charity is one of a number of rehabilitation services asked to retender for government contracts in recent years.

I’m calling on the government to do everything they can to protect the services provided by rehabilitation charities like The Clink. We know prisoners who secure jobs are less likely to reoffend when they leave prison and more likely to get their lives back on track.

Over the last 10 years, the Clink at HMP Brixton has become a flagship destination for this concept, drawing in diners from far and wide across London.

Any consideration of this contract must give due weight to the money saved by reducing reoffending rates and the value it creates by upskilling and getting people into work.

The full text of my letter is below.