No10 is in a bind this morning as it is forced to remind its own ministers that Burnham has only ‘instructed’ Justice Secretary Alex Norris to find a way to keep Andrew Harper’s killers behind bars by September. Thus throwing him under the bus if it fails – but it’s too clever by half…
Angela Rayner told broadcasters on her morning round that Norris will simply announce in September the method by which Harper’s killers will be exempt from the early release scheme. Prompting No10 to ring around with a clarification…
No10 is stressing the line from its briefing: Burnham “has asked the Justice Secretary to work through further options to keep a greater number of the most serious offenders in prison, including the killers of PC Harper.” That won’t hold, it’s Burnham’s boat now…
Guido reported exclusively on the situation inside No10 and the options presented to Burnham yesterday. You’re either in front of Guido…
UPDATE: Burnham releases a statement:
“I understand the depth of public concern about the potential early release of those involved with the killing of PC Andrew Harper – and I share it.
I fully appreciate the anguish of Andrew’s family and, more broadly, of all those victims and their families who may see those who caused them such harm not serve their full sentence.
It is incumbent on me as Prime Minister to do everything within my power to minimise that possibility. And I am determined to do so.
I have spent recent days considering in depth all of the issues involved and the range of advice I have received. I have been pushing for further progress. I have not accepted that it is impossible to do more.
I am increasingly confident that a more focused approach along these lines will allow us to reduce the number of people released early and, in the case of the most serious offenders like those convicted of the killing of PC Harper, prevent their early release altogether
In advance of the Justice Secretary’s proposals being presented to Parliament, we will seek to engage other political parties in discussions with the aim of gaining the widest possible public and political consensus on the approach being taken.
Murderers have always been exempt and our actions have already ensured that rapists, serious child sex offenders and those convicted of grooming offences will never be released early.
And today I have shown a determination to go further. However, I recognise that, even with all these changes, there will be concerns from many victims about who will still be released early for other offences. I am doing all I can, but it is simply not possible to prevent all offenders from being released early without the prison system collapsing.”
Lord Khan in the Telegraph: “I hope, and I say this in a non-pompous way, that the public service I do will bring rewards in this world and the hereafter,” he says. “I’m hoping the work I do is earning me Brownie points.”