Andy Burnham has shifted his position following an intense wave of public anger over plans that could see the men convicted over the death of PC Andrew Harper released early from prison.
The Prime Minister said he was now “increasingly confident” that Labour’s early release policy can be further adjusted to prevent Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers from leaving jail ahead of schedule.
As the rules currently stand, Cole and Bowers are due to be released in January, after serving only half of their 13-year prison terms, under measures designed to ease severe overcrowding across the prison estate.
On Monday, Downing Street insisted it was “not possible” to carve out an exception for “one or two offenders” convicted of manslaughter, even as a petition demanding that PC Harper’s killers stay behind bars passed 800,000 signatures.
However, within less than a day, Mr Burnham said he was “determined” to identify a legal route that would keep Cole and Bowers in prison.
The PM, who was away on holiday last week, wrote on Facebook: “I understand the strength of feeling about the possible early release of those involved in the killing of PC Andrew Harper — and I share that concern.
“I recognise the pain endured by Andrew’s family, and by victims and families more widely who may have to face the prospect of people responsible for devastating harm not serving their full sentence.
“As Prime Minister, it is my duty to do everything I can to reduce that risk. I am determined to do exactly that.”
In a post on Facebook, Andy Burnham said he was ‘determined’ to find a way of keeping Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers in prison
PC Andrew Harper, a Thames Valley Police officer, was killed in August 2019 when responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire
Cole (left) and Bowers were each handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial into PC Harper’s death at the Old Bailey in 2020
Mr Burnham said he had instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to ‘fast-track the development of a plan for presentation to Parliament early next month to create more headroom within the prison system’.
He added this would include increasing the rate of removal of foreign criminals from British jails; finding an early resolution to the ‘long-running injustice’ of IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences; and making greater use of female prisons for male offenders.
‘I am increasingly confident that a more focused approach along these lines will allow us to reduce the number of people released early and, in the case of the most serious offenders like those convicted of the killing of PC Harper, prevent their early release altogether,’ Mr Burnham continued.
‘In advance of the Justice Secretary’s proposals being presented to Parliament, we will seek to engage other political parties in discussions with the aim of gaining the widest possible public and political consensus on the approach being taken.
‘Murderers have always been exempt and our actions have already ensured that rapists, serious child sex offenders and those convicted of grooming offences will never be released early.
‘And today I have shown a determination to go further. However, I recognise that, even with all these changes, there will be concerns from many victims about who will still be released early for other offences.
‘I am doing all I can, but it is simply not possible to prevent all offenders from being released early without the prison system collapsing.’
Angela Rayner, the Communities Secretary, had earlier said the Government would announce an exemption to the early release scheme for the killers of police officers when Parliament returns from its summer break next month.
She told LBC: ‘The PM is really clear, the Justice Secretary will come to Parliament in September to lay out our plans on how we keep the most serious criminals in jail.’
Asked to clarify if this included the killers of police officers, Ms Rayner replied: ‘Yes. The PM is really clear that these people that have created the most abhorrent crimes should not be released early and that he wants to set out in September with the Justice Secretary how we can resolve this issue.’
Sally Jameson, a junior minister in Ms Rayner’s department, told Times Radio that a way of keeping PC Harper’s killers behind bars had been ‘identified’.
The PM, seen leaving Downing Street this morning, said he had instructed Justice Secretary Alex Norris to ‘fast-track’ plans to ‘create more headroom within the prison system’
PC Harper was fatally injured when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.
The driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence and would not have been eligible for the Government’s early release scheme, but Cole and Bowers’ shorter terms meant they were eligible to be freed.
Mr Burnham announced a review of the early release plans shortly after taking office in the wake of a public outcry about the potential release of Bowers and Cole.
The review resulted in changes last week to prevent rapists and paedophiles being released early but there was nothing to change the status of PC Harper’s killers.
At the time, Mr Burnham said he had gone as far as he could – but after returning from his summer holiday he has now said further action can be taken.
PC Harper’s mother said she had received a call from Downing Street on Monday night and has ‘got a little bit of hope that we didn’t have before’ that the killers will not be released early.
Discussing the call she had with a member of the Prime Minister’s staff, Debbie Adlam told BBC Breakfast: ‘She said that he wanted to convey that he wants to do everything that he can and has more hope now of finding a resolution to this to try and keep them in prison.
‘I think the fact that it’s actually come from Downing Street – I’ve got to try and have some faith in it but, at the same time, I have to protect my own feelings.’
But she added: ‘It feels like a hash. It feels like a rush job. It feels like nobody’s put enough effort into actually look for reasons or ways.
‘We are having to push on every level, and it just doesn’t feel like, as a British citizen, I shouldn’t be doing this. They weren’t given extreme sentences, and I’m only asking for them to do what they were given.’
Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O’Connor told BBC’s Today programme: ‘I genuinely believe that the powers that be, Andy Burnham – and the difficult decisions that they have to make – he will make the right choices here, and he will come on board with us, and he’ll get the right side of the line.’
