Burnham's balancing act: Policy trade-offs for the new PM

Andy Burnham is facing one of his first major challenges as Prime Minister with the early release of prisoners, including those responsible for the death of PC Andrew Harper. 

The early release scheme is part of the Sentencing Act, introduced under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, with the aim of alleviating the pressure on critically overcrowded prisons in England and Wales - currently sitting at 97% full.

The Ministry of Justice has predicted that prison capacity could be overtaken by population as soon as November 2026. 

PC Harper's tragic death led to Harper's Law, which sets out measures meaning that anyone convicted of killing an emergency service worker while committing a crime will automatically be given a life sentence. 

However, this legislation does not apply retrospectively, meaning that Harper's killers are not subject to this change. PC Harper's widow and mother have both been critical of the scheme, and of Burnham himself for not reaching out to them. 

There has been a swell of public support behind calls to prevent the release of Harper's killers in one of the first high-stakes policy balancing acts that the new Prime Minister has encountered. 

Burnham has stated that he “believes that there is more that can be done” to prevent those responsible for crimes such as this, despite reports that officials have called this a legal impossibility. 

The Prime Minister has now tasked Justice Secretary, Alex Norris MP, with working out how this is possible, with his plan to be delivered to Parliament when recess ends in September.

So far, one of the standout features of Burnham’s administration has been a move away from the Whitehall-centric bureaucracy of government, with measures like the creation of Number 10 North and the focus on devolution, implying that this is a government insistent on removing unnecessary blockages in the system. 

This could be indicative of Burnham’s approach to the civil service going forward, and a chance to prove that his light-hearted, hopeful communication style is supported by drive and content. 

There are also wider trade-offs that the Prime Minister will have to consider as Parliament returns. 

This includes issues like Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, balancing the UK’s sustainability targets with her stated priority of bringing bills down for households across the country. 

Labour is enjoying a bounce in the polls which has finally put them ahead of Reform UK once again. Burnham will not want to risk alienating any voters who are cautiously returning to Labour. With the Clacton by-election taking place this week, this is not something to squander. 

However, tough decisions must be made, and questions about funding and workability are rearing their heads. 

As conference season and the Budget looms, all eyes will be on Westminster for some detailed policy that will deliver the change that voters across the UK are still searching for. 

The question of whether Burnham can deliver this change remains to be answered.