Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced his intention to keep hundreds of criminals in prison who would otherwise have been eligible for early release. This move follows his consistent desire to expand the list of people ineligible for early release.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Justice had cautioned that exempting more prisoners could lead to "prisons reaching capacity and collapsing." The Prime Minister himself had previously stated he had "pushed to the very limits of what is possible to do."
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Mr Burnham cited the release of individuals on indefinite sentences and the deportation of foreign criminals as factors enabling his latest intervention. Work is also understood to be starting immediately to create new cells in existing prisons.
However, these solutions are not expected to be short-term. Ending indefinite sentences requires new legislation and could take years to free up space, while retrofitting prisons for more cells is anticipated to take months. Government officials concede that in the short term, prisons will become even more full, with the adult male prison estate already at 98% capacity.
The additional exemptions are being described within government as a "political decision," influenced by pressure, particularly concerning the potential early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers. Mr Burnham made the announcement himself in a BBC Breakfast interview, rather than a parliamentary statement, reportedly to provide certainty to victims and the public as early as possible.