What could Andy Burnham do to block early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers?

Public anger is mounting over the possible early release of his killers. Photograph: Family Handout/PA View image in fullscreen Andrew Harper. Public anger is mounting over the possible early release of his killers. Photograph: Family Handout/PA Explainer What could Andy Burnham do to block early release of PC Andrew Harper’s killers? Outcry against policy is seen as PM’s first big test since taking over at No 10, but his options are limited PM urged not to change scheme to stop PC Andrew Harper killers’ early release Andy Burnham is said to be exploring “every option” to block the early release from prison of the killers of PC Andrew Harper under plans to alleviate the prison overcrowding crisis, amid public concern that they could be back on the streets next year. As he faces what is being seen as his first big test since becoming prime minister, what are his options? Why will Andrew Harper’s killers be eligible for release? Under the government’s plans to tackle prison overcrowding, via the Sentencing Act, prisoners serving sentences of four years or more for some serious violent or sexual offences will be eligible for release at the halfway point of their term, rather than at two-thirds as had previously been the case. This would apply to Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, two of Harper’s killers, who were jailed for 13 years in 2020 for manslaughter. Henry Long, the main perpetrator, who was jailed for 16 years, will not be subject to early release. After a public outcry, Burnham excluded rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers from the early release scheme, which he also put back a month to October, but criminals convicted of manslaughter were not excluded. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced mandatory life sentences for offenders convicted of the manslaughter of emergency workers on duty but, as is normal, it does not apply retrospectively. Why did Burnham not exclude people convicted of manslaughter? The prime minister initially said he wanted to “go further” with exemptions from the prison release scheme but that it was “not possible without the prison system reaching capacity and collapsing”. There are about 950 people currently in jail for manslaughter. Although not all would be eligible for early release and they would not all be freed simultaneously, every prison space is precious given that official predictions suggest that the prison system will be full .