Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has intensified pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to halt the planned early release of serious offenders, urging his government to immediately revoke key sentencing measures and introduce emergency legislation to prevent violent and sexual criminals from being freed later this year.
Speaking at a press conference alongside women who survived rape and sexual assault, Badenoch argued that the government’s recently announced “pause” to the early release programme does little to reassure victims.
The event placed victims at the centre of the political debate, with survivors describing the trauma of knowing that those convicted of attacking them could soon be released before completing their full prison terms.
Kemi Badenoch advocated for immediate government action over a review process that does not change the law. She insisted that protecting victims should transcend party politics.
The dispute centres on provisions within the Sentencing Act that would allow some prisoners to be released earlier than previously planned as part of efforts to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prison system. The measures are due to come into force on 2 September.
Badenoch argued that Burnham has the authority to stop the process immediately by revoking the commencement order that activates the legislation.
“If Andy Burnham wants to prove that he is serious about this, he needs to revoke the commencement order. That is a simple action that I’m asking for today. It’s quite clear that the Prime Minister sees that this is a problem, but I don’t think he knows what to do about it.”
Kemi Badenoch
She added, “we have done the work. We know that we need to revoke the commencement order immediately – he could do that today. That would show that he is really pausing it.”
Badenoch indicated that Parliament could quickly approve emergency legislation if the government chose to prioritise it.
“This can be done – we heard the government talk about bringing in emergency legislation for a bank holiday if we won the World Cup. They can do this and we will be here to help them facilitate that.”
Kemi Badenoch
The Conservatives have consistently challenged Labour’s sentencing reforms, stating that they oppose legislation that would allow prisoners convicted of serious violent and sexual offences to be released earlier.
The Conservatives also accused Labour of turning down prior amendments that would have spared rapists, paedophiles, and other dangerous offenders from automatic early release rules.
However, Badenoch acknowledged that Conservative governments also introduced limited early release schemes while in office, arguing that the previous arrangements differed significantly from Labour’s proposals.
“We also had early release but not like this. We never had this category of prisoners being released. We never had killers, rapists, paedophiles on early release. That is what I want to stop.”
Kemi Badenoch
In addition, Kemi Badenoch conceded that the Conservatives had failed to create sufficient prison capacity but attributed many of the delays to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know that the situation with prisons is challenging. When we were in government, we saw the challenge. We created 14,000 new prison places – it was nowhere near enough. We had a prison-building target in our manifesto. Covid derailed that programme.”
Kemi Badenoch
She further explained, “we’d sold some prisons to get the money to build new ones but the programme, as I said, was derailed.”
Meanwhile, Labour has constantly contended that the current prison problem is the product of years of Conservative governments imposing longer prison sentences while neglecting to build enough prisons, putting the criminal justice system close to capacity by the 2024 general election.
Burnham Defends Review as Government Pursues Prison Reform
Responding to the criticism, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has rejected suggestions that the government’s review was symbolic, insisting that the suspension of September’s planned releases is genuine while ministers reassess the policy.
“The pause is real, and it was one of the first things I did coming into office last week. So the September releases are on hold. The review that I have instigated is also a real process. We are taking a very serious look at the situation.”
Andy Burnham
While acknowledging concerns about public safety, Burnham argued that the current crisis stems from years of underinvestment in prison infrastructure.
“Of course, this goes back a number of years when the previous government failed to put in place the prison places needed, so it is a challenging situation, and we shouldn’t actually be in this position as a country.”
Andy Burnham
He indicated, “we have to deal with the reality of where we are. But I will do anything I can to minimize risk to the public.”
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