Burnham orders review of grooming gang early releases
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review of the government's early prison release scheme to ensure grooming gang members are not inadvertently freed. This follows pressure from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch regarding the exclusion criteria for serious sex offenders.
Why it matters
The policy highlights the tension between managing prison overcrowding and public safety concerns regarding high-profile criminal offenders.
Image source, Reuters By Joshua Nevett , Political reporter , Damian Grammaticas , Political correspondent and Dominic Casciani , Home and legal correspondent Published 6 August 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an "urgent" review to identify any grooming gang members who may be eligible to be freed from jail under the government's early release scheme.
The announcement comes after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch raised concerns that child sex offenders could leave jail well before the end of their sentences.
She pointed out that indecent assault was not included in the list of offences that the government said would be excluded , external from the early release scheme.
Five men convicted of indecent assault as part of a historical grooming-gang case in Bradford are among the prisoners whose offences were not included in the list of exclusions.
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