Burnham freezes early prison releases after public fury over safety risks

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has halted a controversial early prison release scheme in an emergency move aimed at restoring public confidence amid mounting anger over concerns that offenders could be released too soon.

Mr Burnham said no prisoners would be freed under the policy, due to begin in September, until an urgent review had been completed and ministers were satisfied that risks to the public had been reduced.

“Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority,” the Prime Minister said, announcing the suspension. He added that his team had been instructed to “put a pause” on the changes and that the Government would act if further reforms were required.

The decision follows growing political pressure over plans that would have allowed certain prisoners to leave custody earlier than under existing rules as part of efforts to ease pressure on an overcrowded prison system.

The scheme had been expected to see around 6,000 offenders released early after changes to sentencing rules come into force in September.

The controversy intensified after criticism from the widow of murdered police officer Andrew Harper, who described the policy as “deplorable”.

Pc Harper, 28, was killed in August 2019 while responding to reports of a quad bike theft in Berkshire. Although the driver responsible, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and would not qualify for the scheme, two passengers convicted of manslaughter — Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers — had been expected to become eligible for earlier release.

Both men received 13-year sentences and could have qualified for release after serving half their terms rather than two-thirds.

The row has placed fresh pressure on the Government over its handling of the prison crisis, with ministers facing the difficult balance between reducing overcrowding and maintaining public protection.

Mr Burnham’s intervention marks one of the first major policy reversals of his premiership and signals an attempt to draw a line under growing concerns that criminal justice reforms were moving faster than safeguards allowed.

For the Government, the political calculation is clear: reducing prison numbers may ease pressure on the system, but any perception that public safety is being compromised carries a far greater cost.