Andy Burnham has announced he is pausing a scheme that would have seen thousands of prisoners eligible for early release, following fierce criticism from victims' families including the widow of PC Andrew Harper, who called the plans “deplorable”.
The Sentencing Act, due to come into effect in September, was designed to ease overcrowding by letting some offenders out after serving a third of their sentence rather than half, with more serious offenders released at the halfway mark instead of two-thirds. Around 700 prisoners were due for release in early September.
“Andy Burnham pauses early prison release scheme after PC Andrew Harper's family condemns it as 'deplorable'.”
Burnham said: “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.” Justice Secretary Alex Norris added that the pause aimed to “give victims and survivors certainty” and that a review would also examine the information given to families as part of the early release process.
The backlash had been building. Two of the teenagers who killed PC Harper in Berkshire in 2019 – both sentenced to 13 years – would have benefited from the scheme from June 2027. His widow, Lissie, said politicians were “making decisions from behind a desk that will have real and lasting consequences”. His mother said her son had not received “proper justice” and that “every victim will be feeling the same”.
Thousands of letters had already been sent to victims warning them of the September changes. Now, with the pause, prison staff have been asked to report any “stability issues” that may develop inside jails due to delayed releases, Sky News understands.
Norris, who voted for the Sentencing Act under Starmer’s government, said the decision to pause came after “listening to victims”. But the move leaves hundreds of inmates in limbo – and prisons braced for unrest.
