Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made a heartfelt promise to the sister of slain police officer Andrew Harper, saying he would never forgive himself if he didn’t fight to keep her brother’s killers behind bars.
After days of back-and-forth and growing public pressure, Burnham admitted there’s still more work to do and insisted he’s leaving no stone unturned in the effort to prevent the early release of the two men convicted in PC Harper’s death.
The emotional pledge came just hours after Angela Rayner confirmed that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole would not be released under the government’s early release scheme, though the exact reasons for their exemption haven’t been fully explained.
Earlier, officials had warned that blocking the pair’s release halfway through their 13-year sentences could lead to legal challenges. But now Burnham has reportedly asked Justice Secretary Alex Norris to find a legal way to keep them locked up.
Rayner said the full plan to exempt Bowers and Cole from early release will be laid out when Parliament returns in September.
PC Harper’s sister, Aimee Harper, appeared on LBC to describe the family’s emotional rollercoaster over the confusing back-and-forth. Burnham responded directly, saying he’s pushing the system as far as it can go.
“I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t do everything I possibly could to try and lessen your anguish, and I am doing that,” he said. “I am turning over every stone.”
The 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶 escalated after every police chief in the UK signed an unprecedented joint letter Tuesday, urging Burnham to use every lawful option to keep Bowers and Cole behind bars. Fifty top officers, including leaders from all 48 regional forces, the National Crime Agency, and Jersey Police, united to voice their alarm over the impact of the justice reforms on public confidence.
Under the current plan, Bowers and Cole would become eligible for release under Labour’s new scheme to free up prison space, which will see 5,000 inmates released over ten months starting in October.
Burnham had previously said he reached the limits of his intervention powers after halting the release of over 1,000 rapists and child 𝒔𝒆𝒙 offenders last week. But by Monday night, a government spokesperson said the PM had asked the Justice Secretary to explore further options to keep more serious offenders locked up, including PC Harper’s killers.
It’s still unclear how this exemption will work, especially since the government has already ruled out special measures for those who killed emergency workers.
Detective Superintendent Stuart Blaik of Thames Valley Police suggested excluding inmates convicted of manslaughter, like Bowers and Cole, from the scheme. Currently, 950 prisoners are serving time for manslaughter in the UK, with hundreds expected to be released under the new policy initiated by former PM Keir Starmer.
PC Harper’s mother, Debbie Adlam, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the uncertainty has turned her life upside down.
“I just don’t know how to think, how to feel. It’s turned me inside out,” she said. “It feels like a hash… a rush job.
Nobody’s put enough effort into actually looking for reasons or ways. We are having to push on every level.”
She added, “I’m only asking for them to do what they were given.”
PC Harper, 28, was killed in 2019 when he got caught in ropes attached to a stolen quad bike and was dragged along the road. Henry Long, then 18, who was driving, received 16 years for manslaughter and won’t be eligible for release. Bowers and Cole, then 17, got 13 years due to their younger age and are due for release next year after serving half their sentences under the new Sentencing Act.
With the government scrambling for a solution and the family left in agony, one question remains: will justice finally catch up to those who took a hero’s life?
