Andy Burnham pauses early release scheme for prisoners
Andy Burnham has announced he is pausing the early release scheme for prisoners after it emerged that two people involved in the death of Andrew Harper could be freed within months, reports BritPanorama.
The new prime minister vowed that “no prisoners will be let out under this policy” pending an “urgent review,” stating he would do everything he can “to minimise risk to the public.”
Approximately 5,000 prisoners were scheduled to begin being released from September as part of a policy introduced under Sir Keir Starmer, aimed at alleviating the overcrowding crisis in prisons.
The controversy flared on Wednesday after it was revealed that two of those responsible for the death of Pc Harper could be eligible for automatic release under this scheme.
The police officer was just 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries from being caught in a strap attached to a car as three teenage suspects fled a burglary scene in Berkshire in 2019.
Under the scheme, Henry Long, then aged 19 and sentenced to 16 years, would not qualify for early release. However, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, both 18 at the time and given 13 years for Pc Harper’s manslaughter in 2020, could be.
Speaking on Thursday, Burnham emphasized, “Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority.”
He added, “I am working closely with the new justice secretary and have instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September.”
“No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public. Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them.”
Lissie Harper, the widow of Pc Harper, described the scheme as “deplorable,” criticizing politicians for “making decisions from behind a desk that will have real and lasting consequences” for victims’ families.
She remarked, “It has taken me years to rebuild a life that was torn apart in a matter of moments. Years to pick up the pieces left behind by three men whose actions robbed Andrew of his life and stole our future.”
Harper expressed outrage that early prisoner releases were even being considered acceptable and underscored that such decisions contradict the notions of justice and accountability.
PC Harper’s mother also characterized the possibility of early release for two of his killers as “an insult.”
Meanwhile, Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Jason Hogg stated that it “feels wrong” for the killers to be released early. If sentenced today, they would receive life sentences under Harper’s Law, enacted in 2022 following advocacy from the officer’s family.
Burnham indicated on Wednesday that he wants to ensure “everything has been looked at” before the policy is implemented as planned in September.
He acknowledged, “I can’t say that I can change the policy completely, but I will look at it in detail before we go further forward.”
Prison overcrowding has compelled successive governments to resort to emergency releases. The Conservative government’s End of Custody Supervised Licence scheme, initiated in 2023, resulted in over 10,000 inmates being released 18 to 70 days early.
This was succeeded by Labour’s SDS40 scheme, which has seen 56,323 offenders released after serving 40 percent of their term from September 2024 to December 2025.
Reforms in the Sentencing Act followed a crisis in prison capacity, as fear grew of a “total breakdown of law and order” that could prevent police from making arrests and courts from sentencing offenders, according to then Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The changes are based on a series of measures outlined in David Gauke’s Independent Sentencing Review, which called for decisive action to avoid future reliance on emergency releases.
Unlike SDS40, the Sentencing Act reforms do not exclude those convicted of sex offences, domestic abuse, or serious violent offences. However, life sentences, extended sentences, and imprisonment for public protection terms remain excluded from early release eligibility.
