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18h ago

Prime Minister Excludes Manslaughter Convicts From Early-Release Scheme

The decision responds to intense public and police pressure, requiring ministers to find prison capacity through deportations and reform of indefinite IPP sentences.

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photo originally issued on 19/08/20 by Thames Valley Police of Jessie Cole (left) and Albert Bowers. The mother of Pc Andrew Harper says her family is "paying the price" after learning her son's killers remain eligible for early release under the Government's planned sentencing changes. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on Monday that rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming would be excluded from the scheme aimed at easing prison overcrowding. Issue date: Tuesday August 04, 2026. PA Photo. Cole and Bowers, who were passengers in the car that killed PC Harper and sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020, would become eligible for release after serving half of their sentences. Photo credit should read: Thames Valley Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. Photographer: Thames Valley Police Provider: Thames Valley Police/PA Wire Source: PA

Overview

  • On Sunday the prime minister said anyone convicted of unlawful killing, including all forms of manslaughter, plus indecent assault and death by dangerous driving, will be blocked from Labour’s early-release changes, meaning the two men convicted over PC Andrew Harper’s death will remain in custody.
  • Ministers say the narrower exemptions will keep 'hundreds' more people behind bars while previously published figures showed roughly 5,000 prisoners could have been released under earlier versions of the scheme.
  • Downstream capacity measures set out by the prime minister include faster deportation of foreign offenders and a review and reform of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) cases, with Justice Secretary Alex Norris instructed to lay detailed secondary legislation and plans before Parliament when it returns in early September.
  • The change follows sustained pressure from bereaved families, a petition that passed one million signatures and an unprecedented open letter from dozens of chief constables that argued narrow legal carve-outs risked court challenges and would not restore public confidence.
  • Legal limits remain: Harper’s Law is not retrospective so it cannot be applied to past cases, IPP reform will take time to implement, and ministers face operational and legal hurdles in generating the extra prison space needed to avoid releasing other offenders early.