Story perspectives
Author Corrects Prison Quote Misattributed to Douglas Hurd
8/22/2026
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Story summary
- Nik Wood (author) corrects a misattributed prison quote in his August 18 letter.
- He notes the quote was wrongly credited to Douglas Hurd, former British Foreign Secretary.
- The line actually appears in a 1990 white paper authored by David Waddington, former Home Secretary.
- Wood argues civil servant David Faulkner likely originated the phrase.
- Faulkner’s influence on crime policy ended when Michael Howard, former Home Secretary, took office.
