# Labour failing woman and girls with early release scheme, former Home Office minister Jess Phillips warns

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/labour-failing-woman-and-girls-with-early-release-scheme-former-home-office-minister-jess-phillips-warns/
- Published: 2026-08-07T23:50:34+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-24T22:11:47+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16037629/Labour-failing-woman-girls-early-release-scheme-Jess-Phillips-warns.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Jess Phillips says Labour lacks commitment to halving violence against women
- She wants domestic abusers exempted from Burnham's early-release scheme
- Over 9,000 abusers could be freed early; Tories demand scheme be scrapped

## Summary

Former Home Office minister Jess Phillips has criticised the Labour government over Andy Burnham's early-release scheme, warning it undermines the party's pledge to halve violence against women and girls. Phillips, who resigned as safeguarding minister in May citing a lack of "gusto" from Sir Keir Starmer on the issue, said the government is "nowhere near" the level of commitment needed, and called on Burnham to exempt domestic abusers, particularly those guilty of coercive control, from early release. Her intervention adds pressure on the new prime minister over a policy already condemned by campaigners and the Conservative opposition.

Speaking on Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Phillips said fully implementing the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy could cut such violence by around 25%, and accused other government departments of deprioritising women's safety. The early-release scheme, aimed at easing prison overcrowding, could see more than 9,000 domestic abusers freed before completing their sentences, according to figures reported by the Daily Mail. Shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns said more than 70,000 offenders have already been released early under the scheme and urged Labour to scrap it, while the Conservatives said they would keep dangerous offenders in prison and abolish the Sentencing Council.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.