Good Morning Britain was halted for a bombshell update on Labour's early prison release scheme, delivering a humiliating blow to Andy Burnham. The scheme, launched at the beginning of October, has seen hundreds of prisoners freed before serving half of their sentences in a bid to ease overcrowding in prisons.
Scheme details and exclusions
The scheme, introduced in 2024 when Labour came into office, applies to roughly 70,000 offenders. Burnham confirmed that prisoners convicted of rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences would be excluded. The plans are meant to encourage prisoners to work harder to reform through enhanced monitoring and intensive supervision.
First failure reported
However, it has already failed in one case. Good Morning Britain reported that a man freed two weeks ago under these measures is already back behind bars. Reporter Ashna Hurynag said: "Two weeks ago, 700 prisoners were released all in a bid to tackle overcrowding in England and Wales. One of them was Michael Bogle. He walked out of the prison behind me, he spoke to prisoners as he left. He said people like him should not be behind bars."
Bogle, 38, was released from HMP Wandsworth on 1 October as part of the first wave of prisoners to be let out under the plan.
Continuing releases
Some 650 prisoners will be let out of jails in England and Wales today, as the government's early prison release scheme continues. The story is developing, and further updates are expected as more information becomes available.
