Burnham Moves to Block Release of PC Harper's Killers
Andy Burnham has ordered ministers to find a way to stop the automatic early release of the two men jailed over the death of PC Andrew Harper, and the government said on Tuesday it had identified a “solution” to keep them behind bars. The pair had been due for release in early 2027 under the emergency scheme to relieve overcrowded jails. The move followed an outcry and warnings of legal action from police.
The government had initially said it could not block the releases, before shifting under pressure to insist a mechanism had been found — a U-turn that spared it a damaging row but raised questions about the wider early-release scheme. Harper, a Thames Valley officer, was dragged to his death behind a car in 2019, in a case that changed the law on killing emergency workers, and the prospect of his killers going free had caused national outrage. His mother has asked to meet the Prime Minister. The episode lays bare the bind of a prison system so overcrowded that ministers are forced into emergency releases. Watch how the “solution” is applied and whether it holds up legally.