Badenoch Demands Law to Block 700 Early Releases as Burnham Review Faces September Deadline
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 27
Badenoch Demands Law to Block 700 Early Releases as Burnham Review Faces September Deadline
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 27
Summary
Kemi Badenoch said Andy Burnham should fast-track emergency legislation before 1 September, arguing a government review will not stop serious offenders from being freed when the scheme takes effect on 2 September.
About 700 prisoners were due for release in the first September phase before Burnham paused the plan last week after backlash from victims and survivors, including criticism tied to the case of PC Andrew Harper's killers.
The Conservatives say eligibility is based on sentence length rather than offence type, risking earlier release for some rapists, paedophiles and violent offenders unless ministers rewrite the law or recall Parliament.
Labour says the measure was needed to avert prison-system collapse after years of underbuilding by Conservative governments, noting fewer than 100 spare adult male prison places remained when it took office in July 2024.
The clash revives a long-running row over overcrowding and sentencing policy: Conservatives used early release in 2023 and had freed 10,000 prisoners by June 2024, while Labour says it has since added 3,000 places.