The Prime Minister said he “understands” the fury over the potential early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers – but his plans will be controversial
Andy Burnham has released a statement on PC Andrew Harper’s killers (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has insisted new emergency measures to ease the prison overcrowding crisis will keep PC Andrew Harper’s killers behind bars. The Prime Minister said he “understands” the fury over the potential early release of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers. In a move set to cause controversy, he said male prisoners could be transferred to female jails. Labour may also release prisoners jailed indefinitely.
And he revealed in a bombshell Facebook post: “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. As a result, I have asked the Justice Secretary to fast-track the development of a plan for presentation to Parliament early next month to create more headroom within the prison system.”
Get the latest politics news – straight from our team in Westminster and more Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
The Prime Minister said: “It will be based on a range of options including the three strands of further work I asked him to initiate last week: increasing the rate of removal of foreign national offenders from the prison estate to their country of origin; finding an early resolution to the long-running injustice of IPP sentences, which could allow for the release of lower-risk prisoners; and making greater use of the entire prison estate including using the female estate for male offenders.
“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.”
And Mr Burnham admitted the plan to release criminals early will still cause anguish for victims.
He said: “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.”
Pc Harper was fatally injured when he got caught in a strap attached to the back of a car and was dragged down a country road as the killers fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.
Two out of three of Pc Harper’s killers, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, are set to be released next year halfway through their 13-year sentences, after being convicted of manslaughter in 2020.
Before the changes in the Sentencing Act, passed earlier this year, they would have served two-thirds of their term.
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner told LBC that Justice Mr Norris will tell MPs what Labour’s plans are when the Commons returns after its summer break.
And it comes after PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, revealed Downing Street officials called her late on Monday night.
More than 900,000 people have signed a petition calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain in prison.
Ms Adlam said said: “I had an interview yesterday, and it obviously must have shown something because I then had a call from Downing Street quite late last night.
“She said that he wanted to convey that he wants to do everything that he can and has more hope now of finding a resolution to this to try and keep them in prison.
“I think the fact that it’s actually come from Downing Street – I’ve got to try and have some faith in it, but at the same time, I have to protect my own feelings.”
Discussing the efforts to keep her son’s killers in jail, Ms Adlam said: “It feels like a hash. It feels like a rush job. It feels like nobody’s put enough effort into actually look for reasons or ways.
“We are having to push on every level, and it just doesn’t feel like, as a British citizen, I shouldn’t be doing this. They weren’t given extreme sentences, and I’m only asking for them to do what they were given.”
State pension age latest as petition to get payments from 60 reaches major milestone
A petition has reached an important milestone as its deadline arrives today.
Your state pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension (Image: Getty)
A petition calling for the state pension to be paid to everyone from the age of 60 has reached a significant milestone. The petition is calling for a fundamental change to the current pension system, arguing that people should receive the state pension from their 60th birthday. It opened on February 10, 2026, and closes today, Monday, August 10. The petition, created by Denver Johnson, also calls for the payment to be linked to the National Living Wage.
Under the proposal, the state pension would be equivalent to 48 hours of work at the National Living Wage. The campaign calculates this at £610.08 a week, or around £31,724 a year. The petition says the payment should be available to all people aged 60, including those living overseas. The petition has now attracted 6,171 signatures at the time of writing.
The UK State Pension age is gradually increasing from 66 to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028 (Image: Getty)
The official Parliament petition page states that 10,000 signatures are required before the Government is obliged to respond. A petition reaching 100,000 signatures can be considered for debate in Parliament.
The petition states: “We want the Government to make the state pension available from age 60 and increase it to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage. Hence from April 2026 a Universal State Pension should be £610.08 per week or about £31,724.16 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above.
“We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit not paid to all, while ever increasing the age of entitlement.
“We want reforms to the State Pension, so that it is available to all including expatriates, from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage, for security.”
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed the state pension age is rising for people born in two years. The state pension age has now started to rise from 66 in April 2026 and will reach 67 in April 2028.
The age at which people can claim their State Pension, however, depends on their date of birth.
The increase affects people born on April 6, 1960, onwards. For those born between April 6, 1960 and March 5, 1961, the State Pension age rises in monthly steps. This means some people will reach State Pension age at 66 years and one month, while some other individuals will have to wait until they are 66 years and 11 months. People born from March 6, 1961, onwards are currently due to reach State Pension age at 67.
The Government said about the increase in State Pension age: “The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
“The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months.”
The State Pension age timetable according to the Pensions Act 2014
- April 6, 1960 – May 5, 1960 – 66 years and 1 month
- May 6, 1960 – June 5, 1960 – 66 years and 2 months
- June 6, 1960 – July 5, 1960 – 66 years and 3 months
- July 6, 1960 – August 5, 1960 – 66 years and 4 months
- August 6, 1960 – September 5, 1960 – 66 years and 5 months
- September 6, 1960 – October 5, 1960 – 66 years and 6 months
- October 6, 1960 – November 5, 1960 – 66 years and 7 months
- November 6, 1960 – December 5, 1960 – 66 years and 8 months
- December 6, 1960 – January 5, 1961 – 66 years and 9 months
- January 6, 1961 – February 5, 1961 – 66 years and 10 months
- February 6, 1961 – March 5, 1961 – 66 years and 11 months
- March 6, 1961 – April 5, 1977