PM Burnham blocks early release for officers' killers as prison reforms expand

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told one outlet Breakfast that the two men convicted of manslaughter in the 2019 death of PC Andrew Harper will not benefit from the early-release scheme designed to reduce prison crowding. He clarified that any offender found guilty of unlawful killing will be barred from the program, a move prompted by lobbying from Harper’s widow Lissie Harper and former colleagues. To create additional capacity, Burnham said the government will deport hundreds of foreign prisoners and abolish Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, which have left many inmates detained indefinitely.

Ministry of Justice data show 2,271 people are serving IPP terms, with 856 never released. The prime minister also announced that offences such as indecent assault, dangerous driving deaths, historic child sex crimes and certain domestic-violence cases will be excluded, and a cross-party oversight group will monitor risks. These measures are expected to keep “hundreds” more prisoners in custody while the early-release scheme launches on 1 October.