Burnham to revise prisoner release scheme to exclude Harper killers, reports say

The British government is reportedly seeking to revise its early prisoner release scheme to exclude the killers of PC Andrew Harper, marking a potential U-turn for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Burnham, who took office three weeks ago, had previously announced significant changes to the scheme, set to take effect in September, which were expected to reduce the number of prisoners included by around 1,000.

However, two of the three individuals convicted of manslaughter in the death of PC Harper, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, remained eligible for early release under the revised plan. The main perpetrator, Henry Long, who was driving the car that dragged Harper to his death, was already ineligible due to a longer manslaughter sentence.

Last week, Burnham suggested in an article for the Daily Telegraph that further toughening of the scheme was not feasible without risking the prison system's collapse. A spokesperson for Downing Street also downplayed the possibility of further tweaks, citing the risk of wider exemptions leading to prison overcrowding.

Despite these previous statements, the government revealed late yesterday that Burnham has instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to develop further revisions. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner confirmed this morning that the Prime Minister is determined to find a solution and has tasked the Justice Secretary to present one to parliament in September. The government is reportedly considering options such as extending early release to prisoners serving indefinite sentences, including more women prisoners, or expediting the deportation of foreign offenders. These measures could potentially free up enough space to exclude manslaughter offenders like Cole and Bowers from the early release program.

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The prime minister is determined to ensure that there is a solution to this, and I think he’s made that really clear. And he’s tasked the justice secretary to come to parliament in September with that solution. He’s looking at alternatives like the indefinite sentences, like women prisoners and speeding up foreign nationals being deported. So there is a lot of work that’s going on.