Charging prison living costs to wrongly convicted is unfair, says No 10

Andrew Malkinson outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after being cleared by the court of appeal. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

People who have been wrongly convicted should not have to pay “living expenses” for the time they spent in prison, No 10 has said after a man spent 17 years inside for a rape he did not commit.

Rishi Sunak thought the practice was unfair and had launched discussions with Home Office officials to “establish the facts”, prompted by the case of Andrew Malkinson, who had his conviction overturned last week.