TORY Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright tried yesterday to shrug off blame for rising violence in prisons, claiming it was society’s fault and not because of deep Con-Dem budget cuts.

In front of prison officers at the POA conference, Mr Wright bizarrely claimed: “I don’t believe what we’re doing is making the prison estate an unsafe place.

“I suspect we have to not just look at what’s happening inside prisons but what’s happening outside prisons in wider society to properly understand this.”

In the 12 months to September 2013, serious assaults on staff soared by 31 per cent and incidents of prisoners attacking each other increased by 18 per cent.

Over the same period 70 prisoners killed themselves — the most in five years — and four alleged murders — the most in 15 years.

Meanwhile ministers have hacked away at the prisons budget, with it set to be slashed by £900 million by 2015 — a reduction of a quarter since the Con-Dems came to power.

The Tory-led coalition plans to have closed 15 jails by 2015, despite the total number of prisoners doubling in the past 20 years to about 85,000.

POA general secretary Steve Gillan flatly rejected Mr Wright’s extraordinary claims, saying the swelling violence “is down to the ridiculous budget cuts that are placing our members’ health and safety in danger.”

Mr Gillan also condemned the Con-Dems’ squeezing of cash from prison officers by raising their retirement age to 68.

He challenged: “Does Mr Wright think it is reasonable for a 68-year-old to be in a position were they may have to ascend three or four flights of stairs to tackle a violent 18-year-old?”

Mr Wright said the solution would be to make sure prisoners were nicer to their guards.