Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that he will review the early prisoner release policy, before it goes ahead and is in talks with new Justice Secretary Alex Norris.
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The scheme, due to launch in September, involves thousands of prisoners who are set to serve shorter sentences, after new laws were passed to address the prison overcrowding crisis.
Burnham was also asked about comments made by his Cabinet members Wes Streeting and Shabana Mahmood, regarding the early release of prisoners, picked up by a microphone during a conversation with Mr Norris on Tuesday. In the overheard comments, Mr Streeting suggested to Ms Mahmood that Mr Norris was “the enemy now” and “wants to let them all out”.
Streeting said in a post on X that the remarks overheard were referencing joke and apologised, while Ms Mahmood said there was "no ill intent".
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