Prisoner release row proving to be Burnham's first big test as PM
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is facing political backlash over a controversial prisoner release scheme intended to address prison overcrowding. While critics label the decision a failure, supporters view it as a necessary step in the new government's problem-solving approach.
Why it matters
This represents the first major political test for the new administration, highlighting the tension between policy necessity and political optics.
Image source, Reuters By Damian Grammaticas Political correspondent Published 27 minutes ago Three weeks into his premiership, Andy Burnham has "hit bumps in the road" in the estimation of one long-serving Labour MP with the row over the early release of some prisoners from jail.
His political opponents are already sharpening their attacks, believing they have found an issue with which to discomfit a new prime minister early in his time in office who had, until now, displayed a pretty deft political touch.
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "This the most important decision Andy Burnham has made since he became prime minister and he's got it wrong."
For Labour MPs, however, this week has shown Burnham is prepared to confront difficult choices and take decisions which, as he said in his first speech in Downing Street, are "more about problem solving than point scoring".
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