Debbie Adlam, the mother of murdered Pc Andrew Harper, has asked Andy Burnham for a meeting to explain why her son's killers cannot be exempted from the Government's early release scheme. The request follows a Downing Street statement saying it is "not possible" to exclude "one or two offenders" convicted of manslaughter from the policy, and comes as the Prime Minister spends August touring the country to hear from the public, despite not having contacted Ms Adlam directly. The row highlights growing pressure on the Government over its handling of prison overcrowding measures and their impact on victims' families.

Pc Harper died in 2019 after being dragged along a road in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, when he became caught in a strap attached to a car driven by thieves fleeing the scene of a quad bike theft. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, convicted of his manslaughter in 2020, remain eligible for release in January under current plans, having served half of their 13-year sentences; more than 880,000 people have signed a petition opposing this. Around 5,000 offenders are expected to be freed early under the sentencing changes, down from 6,000 after some exemptions were introduced, and Thames Valley Police Federation chairwoman Aileen O'Connor has branded the Government's failure to block the pair's release "indefensible".