Summary

  • Andy Burnham has announced that an early release scheme for some prisoners, due to start in September, will be paused

  • The policy would have seen thousands of offenders in England and Wales freed earlier

  • Burnham says he has "instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September"

  • He adds: "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."

  • The change comes after the widow of a police officer - killed when he was dragged behind a getaway car - described the possibility of his killers' early release as "deplorable"

Live Reporting

  1. Burnham says 'no prisoners will be let out' until 'urgent review' carried out

    The prime minister says that no prisoners will be freed under the early release policy "until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public".

    In a statement this afternoon, Burnham says: “Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority.

    “I am working closely with the new justice secretary and have instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September.

    “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.

    “Where changes are needed, we will not hesitate to make them.”

  2. Andy Burnham pauses early prison release scheme due to start in September
    Breaking

    Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will pause the plan which would have seen thousands of offenders in England and Wales eligible to be released earlier.

    This is breaking news - we'll have more on this in our next few posts.