Bereaved Welsh families faced “months of anguish” over changes to the early prisoner release scheme, a Welsh MP told Prime Minister Andy Burnham at his first Prime Minister’s Questions. The Prime Minister said he understands the “anguish” families suffered but did not apologise.
PM pressed on victim distress
Plaid Cymru MP Ann Davies, the Caerfyrddin MP, called on Mr Burnham to apologise to victims of crime and their families who feared killers could be released sooner. She told the Commons that bereaved families faced “months of anguish” before the Prime Minister’s announcement this week.
Ms Davies highlighted the case of Aaron Jones, 38, who died in the village of Llanpumsaint in Carmarthenshire in December 2024. Driver Daniel Wyke, from Carmarthen, admitted causing Mr Jones’s death and was jailed for four-and-a-half years earlier this year.
Changes to the early release scheme
UK Government plans previously announced would have enabled prisoners convicted of crimes such as manslaughter and causing death by dangerous driving to be released early. Mr Burnham said he has worked to ensure such individuals will not be eligible for the scheme.
Last month, the family of 13-year-old Kaylan Hippsley, who died after a hit-and-run in 2024, told WalesOnline they were angry and heartbroken to be told his killer would be eligible for early release. “I’m trying to not be angry, but I am for my little boy,” his mum, Lisa, said. “The justice system should be there for families like ours.”
Government response and funding
The UK Government has plans to free prisoners earlier to tackle overcrowding in jails across England and Wales. The current scheme allows some prisoners to be released after serving 40% of their fixed-term sentence, rather than the usual 50%. The Sentencing Act 2026 allows for an expansion by reducing the threshold from 40% to a third, and also allows prisoners serving standard determinate sentences of more than four years for certain violent and sexual offences to have their automatic release point reduced from two-thirds to halfway.
At the end of August, Mr Burnham said his government will exclude prisoners from sentencing changes if they were jailed for offences such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, and causing or allowing the death of a child. At PMQs, he said: “I do understand their anguish.” He added: “I listened to what they were saying – I came in and asked for changes to the early release scheme, and we excluded rape, grooming and child sex offences. But hearing those voices, I wasn’t satisfied and I pushed the system to go further.”
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said on Tuesday that alongside early release scheme changes, the UK Government was “bringing forward more than £110 million worth of funding” to free up prison space “headroom”. He said: “We have identified where we can accelerate the delivery of more places, including converting space within prisons into cells, and we’re pushing to deliver current building plans faster.” Mr Norris warned prisons were “regularly at 99% capacity” when Labour took office in 2024, “with fewer than 100 places available at one stage – one bad day away from running out of space, courts forced to suspend trials, police unable to make arrests”.
