When Mr Burnham says he understands people do not want the early release of two criminals serving time for their part in the death of a policeman he seeks to be popular. That’s no bad thing in a leader to pick up the public mood about an issue, and if it is well based as this is, to support it. What is wrong is to do so without a clue about what he can do about it as PM.
We have seen him dither and delay. The Justice Department presumably under the supervision or surveillance of the Justice Secretary had determined they needed to undertake early release of a large number of prisoners. They have been closing so many old prisons so they had almost entirely eliminated any gains from the 14,000 new prison places Conservative Ministers had got them to undertake. Under the Starmer government too, as 3000 new prison places from the Conservative plan became available other places were shut, cancelling the wins. The PM allowed this policy to go forward. The policy entailed the early release of the two connected to PC Harper’s murder and some in the grooming gangs.
When the PM got round to understanding how unpopular the Justice Department policy was he asked for a rethink. On August 4th a new policy was announced, saying that the early releases would not now include rape, serious child sex and grooming offences. This did deal with some of the public anger over grooming gangs but the public was still unhappy. Those who assisted the murder of PC Harper were still eligible for release. So Mr Burnham gave up defending this second improved policy and asked for another rethink. At last yesterday the PM has called for his Justice Secretary to present a new policy to Parliament in early September to free the necessary places without early release of categories of dangerous and nasty criminals the public want locked up for longer.
Why? Surely any person who becomes PM should know that before you blunder into a public policy statement you sit down with colleagues and the Head of the relevant Department and hammer it out. You look at the bad aspects and you require a better answer if the policy fails to achieve your aims. Instead we have a PM so in love with his own work on social media that he says what he thinks the public want to hear without engaging government or making sure he can deliver.
Why did the Justice Secretary behave like this? Is he not in charge of his Department? Can’t he get the Department to do what he or the PM wants? Does he accept two public changes of his policy by the PM and the obvious implication that the PM thinks he has let him and the public down, and has failed to do the homework to sort out prison places. If a PM has to get a colleague to try harder it should be done in private, not in public. From the Justice Secretary’s point of view it must be a nightmare working for Mr Burnham if every time he agrees a government policy he then goes back on his agreement and asks for a rethink.
August 12, 2026
America has plenty of prison places, so it can hand out lengthy sentences. However, this all costs money and other services may suffer as a result.
Britain is unwilling to pay as much for prisons as the USA.
There are savings to be made by making foreign prisoners serve time in their own country and, of course, by the reintroduction of the death penalty.
An overarching problem is that so much of government has been handed over to unelected bodies who MPs are unwilling or unable to challenge. The ‘it’s out of my hands mate’ approach.
August 12, 2026
Similarly the USA would not take four years to clear a policeman of any blame for shooting a known criminal who was driving a car at him and putting his life in danger.
Granted American criminals often have guns, but there is not usually a prolonged enquiry – even if the police empty their weapons into the perpetrator. If a so-called SWAT team is involved there can be absolute carnage.
Americans mostly complain about liberal judges/states allowing criminals soft sentences or bail conditions.
August 12, 2026
SWAT team example deleted.
It showed very clearly the difference between UK policing and USA.
August 12, 2026
Politicians do seem to like it being out of their hands power to the EU, the ECHR, the judiciary, the WHO, other international bodies and endless QUANGOs 400+ of them.
How to govern? Leadership requires firstly a working compass, then an ability to lead people and follow this compass. Burnham has neither he is a pathetic gimmick man who simply ignores all the major issues.
The last PM with a working compass was Thatcher and even she got a lot wrong (she did not leave the EU, closed loads or grammar schools, failed to reform the NHS, appointed the dim John Major as Chancellor then let him join the ERM against wise advice from JR and her economic advisor).
I suppose Truss had a working compass too but did not execute it well and was then alas rapidly removed by the dire blob, the BoE and Sunak supporters.
August 12, 2026
When Politicians hand nearly all their power to the EU, the ECHR, the judiciary, the WHO, other international bodies and endless QUANGOs (400+ of them) this further destroys what little democracy we have. What is the point of electing people who have given their powers away anyway.
One vote every five or so years, on a basis of a manifesto of lies and with the hugely distorting FPTP voting system is hardly any real democracy at all – even if they had not given over all their power to others anyway.
August 12, 2026
So the UK has been importing up to 70% of its electricity over the past few days mainly nuclear from France it seems.
I would personally far rather have a new nuclear plant a few miles from my home than have hundreds of illegal boat migrants in an old army camp near it. The later destroys its value far more.
So why can it take 10 years for a nuclear plant to get planning and the go ahead in the UK and yet the migrant camp, HMOs or migrant hotels get permission at the drop of a hat.
August 12, 2026
Because a nuclear power plant would be a positive benefit to the country whilst illegals are not.
August 12, 2026
@Lifelogic – the UK Political Class doesn’t do management, governing. They are to pre-occupied with personal a religious and political ideology to be concerned about the minions that lend them their powers and pay their wages
August 12, 2026
Some cash-strapped local authorities in the UK are considering or facing backlash over “dynamic” or surge pricing for public toilets it seems.
Is it April Fools Day?
What next £100 fines if you take more than 2 minutes like parking fines? Will be have to have registration numbers on our heads for the cameras? Every time I look for a public loo recently I find they have been removed to save money they say or they only open 9-6 or something. So you have to find a tree.
WHAT are we paying all these taxes for?
August 12, 2026
in the case of Truss, ‘we the people, that is Conservative Party members, ought to mean that the power of the PM comes from the citizen members, not fat cat City brokers, nor overpaid incompetent BofE employees paid by the tax payers.
Easily ousted, yet shambles 2-tier Starmer avoided criticism by being absent. How can a Mayor get given a MP constituency and be elected by other MPs to become PM? Where do the ‘people’ fit into this joke of a democracy?
August 12, 2026
Burnham’s latest pathetic gimmick & distraction is to say wealthier areas must take their fair share of HMOs etc. full of migrants many of who are clearly criminals and dangerous. This turning it into a class war too. No Burnham you just have to stop, turn back and deter them all. It is quite simple to do you turn them round or incarcerate them until they leave. Make it clear very they can never stay if they arrived illegally and will be incarcerated until they leave.
Now they have been given even more incentive to arrive a better chance of a home in a posher area!
August 12, 2026
@Lifelogic – it is all distraction to play to yes those that support the Uniparty, the party that fights democracy, the country and its people.
Who created this Law? It wasn’t the people, it wasn’t those that suffer loss of life, those that keep having to find and create money for it to be thrown away
August 12, 2026
Meanwhile the posh people are in house arrest and certainly can’t allow their young daughters to go out and about whilst some dodgy characters are wandering around.
August 12, 2026
Not just posh people but everyone – especially young women and girls.
August 12, 2026
The move to populate homes in posher areas with illegals is simply because they have been told that they are running out of the cheaper HMOs and now must use more expensive housing. It has nothing to do with “fairness”. It is another attempt by the Nudge Unit to get us to accept that this invasion is to continue and for our taxes to rise to pay for more expensive housing. In my opinion they’re aiming for social unrest in the long-term so they can declare Marshall Law and cancel elections.
Reply I think you meant “martial” law. That is not going to happen
August 12, 2026
You’re right of course Lord John with the spelling. But in my opinion I’m not certain that the Nudge Unit isn’t working on social breakdown in order to cancel elections and declare martial law. That’s how the deep Left achieve their aims. They’ve already tested our compliance with the unnecessary Covid lockdowns and even attempted to cancel elections and trial by jury. You keep saying their policies do not make sense, but this logic only applies if you believe they really do wish “to bring prosperity to every postcode”. I don’t.
August 12, 2026
Burnham seems completely clueless as to the makeup of a lot of the wealthier rural areas.
I can assure him that in many parts of Kent such areas can only be afforded by those escaping London and its surroundings, and they are mainly champagne socialists.
Labour voters, Green voters with a smattering of Lib Dem voters. So that policy will not go down well at all.
Despite many of them being very vocal about ‘refugees welcome here’, they, like so many of their bedfellows never actually mean ‘welcome here’ as in ‘here, where I am’.
We see it now with certain villages kicking up a fuss. Villages that have mainly voted in one of the 3 parties as mentioned above, to represent them.
They use the excuse that it is simply about capacity, infrastructure etc.. Well, I don’t believe that for one minute.
I’m getting tired of being told by politicians what’s fair.
None of it is fair to us, and that should be their main priority.
If they wish to help others they should join an overseas charity, but they must not be allowed to use our home and our Parliament as their personal domain to hand out to the world and its Uncle.
August 12, 2026
Well it is only three weeks before we actually see the new PM engage with Parliamentary scrutiny of his actions.
So far we have only had brief images of him. Let us hope his final entrance into the public space of Politics brings forth some beneficial policies that allow the Nation to improve its growth, high incidence of crime and unaffordable cost of living for many millions of working families. He may also look to reduce the record level of taxation now in place thanks to his predecessors.
I am not holding my breath
August 12, 2026
We have seen him dither and delay.
It’s not just Burnham and his band of merry men but all other governments in the past 3 decades, going back in time to the invasion by Romans and Vikings and Danes at least they made it visible they were invading us with all the rampaging, now we learn that Liebour are holding a Cobra meeting about the sun that’s been there for billions of years but not a Cobra meeting about something that can be sorted the invasion by small ferry dinghies, so come on Burnham get your priorities right and it’s not the sun
August 12, 2026
JR doesn’t mention where Burnham really failed: he didn’t address the need to create more prison places. I wonder why neither of them talk about it. Perhaps because it’s a Reform UK policy? We need ‘Nightingale prisons’, and we should also find foreign countries such as Salvador willing to take the pressure off our overcrowded prisons until enough new ones have been built. That said, I agree with JR’s last point, that all the Quangos we have now may be seriously interfering with the business of government.
August 12, 2026
Burnham appointed the Justice Secretary only a few weeks ago so it doesn’t say much for his judgement if already he’s unhappy with their performance.
August 12, 2026
Too much control given to Quango’s, Ministers no longer in real charge of their brief, thus ineffective or little Ministerial control.
I do believe John you released a posting a little while ago about this very subject, of “the system” reducing Ministerial influence, power, and control over their departments and the inability to hire and fire.
August 12, 2026
Good morning.
Unlike his predecessor who was very quick to lock people up 😉
I asked, Google the following question: How may foreigner nationals are currently in UK jails ? The answer I got was:
It seems to me that there is a very large open goal here. All we need is someone to put the ball in the back of the net.
August 12, 2026
How many UK prisoners are there is foreign prisons that we should presumably need to take back as part of such a deal?
August 12, 2026
Given that we can’t just go wandering into other countries and commit crimes in the numbers that come here, I wonder if the figures are balanced.
Do you think Pakistan has many English ‘grooming’ gangs?
Then of course it depends what they’ve been locked up for abroad. If it’s a serious crime then fair play to the holding country if they want them out, and we have to take them back and lock them up.
One of the principles as far as I’m concerned, is that we have enough of our own ne’er do wells, thanks to the soft approach to criminality, and don’t see why we should have to have them from everywhere else.
That of course extends to other countries, there’s no reason they should put up with our wrong doers.
August 12, 2026
Mark B
We had a family member working within the prisons sector a few years ago, the figures you outline now were very similar then, thus the problem has been long standing for very many years, but politicians seem unable to connect the dots and make a decision to deport, with no right of re-entry.
Likewise perhaps we need to re-think who we put in prison in the first place.b Do we really need to incarcerate people who make comments of social media, or who refuse to pay a TV licence, or a simple fine.
Yes of course we need to build more prisons, or young offenders centres, but in the meantime use a bit of common-sense with regards to “threat to the public”.
August 12, 2026
It’s quite irritating that there seems to be a lack of common sense in this field, as in all others.
As you say, let’s look at what some people are actually being locked up for, and is it really necessary.
An unpleasant comment, non-payment of a fine or TV license is an absurd thing to be put in prison for, certainly as a first offence. It should only be a last resort for such crimes as fines, when all else has failed and the offence is repeated often.
We now have political prisoners, which is what those being sent to prison for a comment are, in all but name.
Yet, we have people out on bail or early release that are violent, dangerously so.
August 12, 2026
MB I believe that there may be a problem in persuading countries of origin of foreign offenders to accept their own criminals. In this case they could easily be sent to a third country….Estonia or San Salvador come to mind.
Is the legislation to allow this action already in place?
August 12, 2026
I am wondering why, if there is a shortage of prisons, Reading Prison has stood empty and idle for so long.
August 12, 2026
Reading Prison was closed in 2014 (The Closure of Prisons Act 2014) by Chris Grayling, the SoS for Justice of the Coalition Government.
In 2016 it was used as an art venue during that Reading Year of Culture.
After various bids and failed sales it was finally sold in January 2024 to a non-profit education foundation.
So it is not part of the DoJ anymore.
August 12, 2026
It has been empty for ten years now. The Chinese businessman who bought it two years ago has talked about turning it in to an arts centre. But he has submitted no planning application for it, and cancelled pre-application discussions with Reading Council. A case of ‘Don’t watch this space’, I think.
August 12, 2026
Indeed it closed in 2014, so is surely still useable for prisoners or migrants. Or perhaps as an air B&B or a themed hotel – but then it is not their money so what does the government or civil servants care about efficiency or use of our assets.
August 12, 2026
HMP Dartmoor is reported mothballed at a reported cost of £4million /yr. due to fears of radon gas exposure, a concern to long term prisoners. However the 659 places could be used for certain prisoner categories….
August 12, 2026
Like so many in the UK Parliament, they cant read the room. It is about them personally and their political religious personal ideology.
Long gone are the days of representing constituents, the electorate, those that lend the powers and pay the wages, it about preaching what their Gang Boss personal wants, not what is right, needed. Its take the fight to the people and keep corralling them, containing them, letting them know who the Politicos thinks is boss
August 12, 2026
The justice system in this country is a pathetic joke.
Feeble sentences handed out regularly. Suspended sentences handed out like confetti.
The two who had a hand in the murder (how it was reduced to manslaughter is a another feeble piece of justice) of PC Harper got only sixteen years. It should have been thirty years minimum)
Here’s two examples of comedy justice (names removed)
a migrant from Afghanistan who kidnapped a 7 year old girl and sexually assaulted her. He got just 2.5 years in prison and is expected to be out on licence after only serving 6 months.
a British man only 21 years old has just been fast tracked through the courts for throwing stones at the Southampton protests. He got 2 years in prison.
Hardly comparable crimes. but treated as though they were.
Deport all foreign criminals to their home country. Thus freeing up circa 10,500 spaces.
Stop imprisoning people for free speech the government doesn’t like.
Build more prisons, now.
August 12, 2026
Prisons or beneifts.
Defence or benefits
NHS gets a free ride
Public sector pensions unaddressed.
Solved it for you T-Shirt boy.
August 12, 2026
The early release was a Law made in Parliament because the Labour Party, (Starmer, Hermer, Lammy wanted to cover their backs and show who is boss) supported as always by the LimpDems.
It was done due to neglect of the country, its people, the inability to manage and the rush to create a personal political ideology.
The irony, Olivia Bailey Labour MP Pc Harpers own MP knew what they were doing when they approved of the Law to have his killers released. For those that don’t know it was an horrific death for Pc Harper he was towed behind a car by his ankles for a mile or so until he died. No remorse just a good laugh. All because he tried to stop these louts stealing. His MP seemingly thinks that these louts should be free to roam the streets in her consultancy. The Police in her area should keep away from protecting property, investigating and deterring theft/burglary their MP wont support them
As for Burnham, he wasn’t around he has only recently been anointed the leader of this Socialist Cabal called the UK Parliament. He is thrashing around wanting to sound loveable to selected people, but analysis it he has done nothing other than escape scrutiny. It the Labour way, Starmer’s way talk a lot keep grabbing the sound-bite headline while doing nothing other than threaten democracy and suck up to foreign powers by handing his job to them.
August 12, 2026
It seems to me that the criminals have the politicians on their side.
For quite some time there seems to have been an air of ‘local hero’ stuff around gangs and thugs in general, via popular culture.
Anti- social behaviour is left to fester, often with the victims being told to be more understanding, and at best just keep a log of events. Add in the mix of the various ‘protected characteristic’ groups that must be dealt with with kid gloves for fear of upsetting them, treading on their toes culturally etc., then we really are in a mess.
When things are not nipped in the bud they often escalate to far worse, and that is what we are seeing now I believe.
Some young people have become desensitised to low level crime that they don’t even see it as crime in the way others from an era where having the Police come to your door was a mark of shame in the street, do.
In some places here now it makes people a ‘legend’ believe it or not.
We are long overdue a clean up and not least in those entering our Parliament.
August 12, 2026
Re your last sentence, Burnham as PM is a NIGHTMARE for all of us, not just the Justice Secretary! His comment that middle-class areas must share the load of illegal immigration shows he has no intention of doing anything to stop it. His airy-fairy promises about the cost of living are rubbish since he wants a costly reset with the EU and to tax us more. His yes but no response to the possible early release of PC Harper’s killers, then suddenly it is a no to their early release, shows he wants to be popular, so he has a wishbone, not a backbone.
In less than a month, he has shown that he will be an abject failure as PM. He will not take the tough decisions needed to cut government spending and reduce taxes. That is the only way the economy will grow. By Christmas, Burnham will be as unpopular as Starmer, and we will all be suffering from a flat UK economy.
August 12, 2026
I agree with you that Burnham’s comment about middle class areas taking more asylum seekers proves he has no intention of stopping it.
What it also shows is that he’s no idea of who, and what he’s talking about because many of those in wealthier areas, particularly lovely traditional English villages (such as we have left) are often left wing, middle class Labour voters. Now more often Green voters.
They chant ‘Refugees welcome here’ but they only mean it in terms of others taking them in.
I can’t see it going down too well with many of his champagne socialist support base who live in such places.
August 12, 2026
Mr Burnham clearly has yet to discover that being Prime Minister is a much bigger job, requiring much more diligence, hard work and care than that of a provincial so called Mayor. Wandering round the country chatting people up is wasting the tome he needs to spend working on things with his colleagues and officials before making any decisions. Otherwise it will not be long before he goes the way of his predecessor.
August 12, 2026
I see the latest promise is to put illegal immigrants into more wealthy areas now (as that is fair) so does that mean the taxpayer is going to have to fund the rental of even more expensive properties. ?
How much will it cost to put them up in a house Mayfair ?
At the moment it already costs MORE to house them at £145 per day, than it costs to have a cruise in a balcony Stateroom on Cunards QE2, which includes all the food you can eat, use of a swimming pool, all soft drinks and high quality entertainment.
What an absolute FARCE and COST to the taxpayer.
Does no Minister do the Sums or comparisons about VALUE FOR MONEY ?
August 12, 2026
When it comes to envy and spite, value for money does not come into it. For example, the spiteful imposition of VAT on education did not bring in extra revenue.
August 12, 2026
+1
August 12, 2026
Forgot to add, and Cunard make a profit at those prices. !
Are any, do any Government employees have any sort of professional purchasing qualification, do they know anything about the percentage return oo capital employed. ?
August 12, 2026
One way through would be to release only those serving time for manslaughter for a crime in which no police or members of the security services was harmed.
August 12, 2026
Technocrats from outside should be appointed to run some of these things that way political populism, vested interests, including victimhood could play no part. Justice especially should be run as a stand alone with no say from police chiefs, media or others.
August 12, 2026
And then there was the Mr Burnham who curried favour by saying he understood how we felt about the illegal invasion, only to round it off by saying he wanted to start more safe routes.
Similarly, he has repeated how sympathetic he is on this subject, only to come out with a spiteful announcement that he wants to punish nice neighbourhoods by concentrating the invaders in them. That is not going to please anyone. It just signifies he has no intention of stopping the invasion. He wants instead to spread the misery everywhere.
August 12, 2026
Mr Burnham needs to learn how to use his brain before opening his mouth.
August 12, 2026
“We have seen him [the PM] dither and delay.”
Of course. Everything is going to plan. He just wants to keep it all going by distracting us from the real issues with cat-on-the-table media offerings. Net Zero to destroy our industry, economy and national security. Mass legal immigration and a large never-ending stream of fighting age men illegals, that we are now told we must pay to live amongst us “to do our bit”, to destroy our social cohesion. High wasteful spending to justify high taxation. All to impoverish us as socialism depends upon making and keeping poor.
August 12, 2026
apparently there are about a million people who have had their asylum claims rejected still in the country, and we deport at max about 3000 a year.
the Afghans the last Conservative government let into the country, while keeping it quiet from the British public are about 500 times more likely to commit a sexual offence than the average population.
I see the Indian outsourcers are still flooding the country with Indian nationals on various visa wheezes, and 5 years of not having to pay any national insurance.
but dont worry Burnham might ban disposable barbeques.
the country is in massive trouble.
August 12, 2026
Radon:Dartmoor is built on an area which may from time-to-time release radon.There are at least 30000 people resident in the vicinity(short and long-term).There is no correlation of radon and cancer.Vast areas of England overly granite.When buying or selling/leasing properties or business set-ups/recruitment is it mandatory
that an Elf’nSafety caution re cancer is stated AND an insurance caution?NO.Open it up and recruit.The queue
of applicants:ex military and prison service will ensure it is up and running in no time.
August 12, 2026
Burnham does appear to favour maintaining or increasing the flow.