Overview
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Sunday, August 30, 2026 that anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, will be excluded from the government's emergency early‑release plan.
- The government widened exemptions to also bar prisoners convicted of indecent assault, death by dangerous driving, grooming‑gang offences and historic child sexual offences from early discharge.
- As a direct result of the change, two of PC Andrew Harper’s convicted killers, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, will remain in custody rather than being released early under the scheme.
- Mr Burnham said ministers will create space in the near term by deporting foreign prisoners and by reviewing some cases of people serving indefinite Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences, a move critics warn could raise public‑safety risks.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris is due to set out full details and secondary legislation when Parliament returns in early September, while campaign petitions and an open letter from police chiefs were key drivers of the policy shift.