'Thank you Andy Burnham': Prisoners praise PM as they're freed early from London jails

Prisoners were walking from jails in London on Thursday under a controversial mass-release plan.

Pictures showed inmates leaving HMP Brixton, as well as other jails around the country, with 700 set to be freed in the first wave of the controversially expanded programme to ease prison overcrowding.

One prisoner emerged from the jail covered in a plastic bag in an effort to conceal his identity.

It is the latest in a series of early release schemes, including under the Conservative government and Sir Keir Starmer.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said offenders would be monitored under the “toughest supervision in British history”.

Inmates leave from HMP Brixton as part of the early release scheme on Thursday, October 1, 2026

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A number of prisoners left the south London jail during the morning

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Around 700 prisoners are expected to be released early on Thursday. Inmates were photographed walking free from HMP Durham

PA

The plan to free up capacity in the overcrowded male prison estate comes as figures show the number of people behind bars has jumped by more than 1,700 in the past three months.

Some 5,000 prisoners are scheduled to be released in stages over the next year, down from 6,000, after ministers intervened to exempt rapists and the most serious child sex offenders.

Under a separate process introduced by the previous Conservative government, 13,325 prisoners in England and Wales were freed early between October 17 2023 and September 9 2024.

The prison population of England and Wales stood at 87,499 on Monday, according to weekly data published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

This is up from 85,761 on June 29 – a rise of 1,738, or 2%.

Ministers say the expanded early release scheme is needed to prevent the justice system from collapsing, after a summer when the issue dominated news headlines.

Criminals will be excluded from the scheme if they have been jailed for a range of offences, including members of child grooming gangs convicted of indecent assault.

Prisoners guilty of manslaughter will also be excluded, meaning the killers of Pc Andrew Harper, who died in the line of duty in 2019, will not be eligible.

The Conservative Party has accused the Government of putting the public at risk.

Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said the public would “pay the price” for the decision, which ministers have said is necessary to create capacity in jails.

The former adviser to Theresa May during her time as prime minister said the policy was an “insult to victims”.

It came as the Victims Commissioner warned the early release scheme may not be workable.

Claire Waxman said the Government’s confidence “is not yet matched by the reality on the ground”.

Ms Waxman said: “Victims and the public have been repeatedly assured that robust safeguards are in place and that those released will face the toughest supervision ever imposed on offenders in the community. Those are significant claims.

“As Victims’ Commissioner, my concern is that the confidence being projected by government is not yet matched by the reality on the ground.

“Bold assertions in press releases are no substitute for effective planning, robust preparation and consistent delivery. All three have been in short supply.”