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Kemi Badenoch has called for killers, rapists and child abusers to be exempt from Labour's early release of prisoners, after it emerged that the killers of murdered police officer Andrew Harper were being considered for early release.

Plans for some 6,000 criminals to be released early under the new Sentencing Act were due to come into force in September.

But the early release scheme was paused by Andy Burnham on Thursday night after outrage from victims' families.

The new prime minister said that no prisoners would be released under the policy until an 'urgent review' was conducted into how to 'minimise risk to the public'.

He said in a post on X on Thursday: 'Keeping the public safe will always be my top priority.

'I have instructed my team to put a pause on the sentencing changes that were due to start in September. [...] Where changes are needed, I will not hesitate to make them.'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch responded by saying that the 'pause' was not enough.

She wrote on X: 'I welcome this 'pause' but you have only suspended one part of early release, pending yet another review. We have been campaigning against this dangerous scheme from day one.'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called for killers, rapists and child abusers to be made exempt from plans to release prisoners early

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a 'pause' on Labour's prison early release scheme on Thursday evening amid outrage at PC Andrew Harper's killers potentially being freed from jail early

PC Harper was 28 when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019

She called for killers, rapists and child abusers to be exempted from the scheme permanently, adding: 'Your scheme is still letting offenders out early, today, every day.'

Ms Badenoch also pointed out that the early release scheme has already cost people their lives, after inmate Liam Matthews went on to kill 26-year-old Lewis Bell just hours after being released early from prison.

Matthews joined two others to hunt down and kill Lewis Bell over a drug den feud in Stockton on September 19, 2024.

He had been released from prison the previous morning under the Government's scheme to ease pressure on crowded prisons, having been jailed three and a half months prior for attacking a separate man.

It follows the news that two of PC Harper's killers are being considered for early release under the scheme.

PC Harper was 28 years old when he sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.

The driver of the vehicle that dragged PC Harper until he was dead, Henry Long, received a 16-year sentence, and would not have been eligible for the scheme.

But early release was on the cards for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car and had been handed 13 years in custody for manslaughter after a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020.

Both men could have become eligible to be released from prison after serving half of their sentences, rather than two-thirds.

Lissie Harper, PC Harper's widow, described the scheme as 'deplorable', and his mother, Debbie Adlam, said Burnham's 'pause' was 'not enough'.

'It's not enough. It's a good start, and it really is a good basis to begin working on some sensible alternatives and looking at options for going forward, because there's so many people this affects, it's not just us,' she said on Thursday.

'It's incredibly personal to us, but it's not just us. And I think it really needs a good looking at, not just a quick meeting and 'that's it, we'll move on'.

'It needs to be looked at thoroughly and that's what I'm hoping for. We want to see some results from it.'

The Prime Minister said on Thursday that he and his new Justice Secretary Alex Norris would conduct an 'urgent review' of the policy, which had been due to start on September 2.

The move threatens to plunge the prisons system into fresh chaos, with Mr Burnham insisting no prisoners will be released under the scheme until the review is complete.

It will leave officials scrambling to work out prison release plans for thousands of criminals who are due to become eligible for early release after serving as little as a third of their sentence.

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed Jessie Cole, left, and Albert Bowers might be eligible to be released from prison halfway through their sentences

PC Harper and Lissie Harper were married just four weeks before the Thames Valley Police officer was killed in 2019

The PM indicated the scheme - which had been Labour's solution to the prison overcrowding crisis under Keir Starmer's administration - could yet face a major overhaul by Mr Norris.

Mr Norris, who has only been in charge at the Ministry of Justice since Monday, said around 700 prisoners who had been set for early release in September would now no longer be released as part of a first tranche.

The Government has so far failed to say whether killers, rapists and paedophiles will be exempt from the scheme.

Asked if any prisoners would still be released under the scheme from September, the Justice Secretary told reporters: 'The PM has been very clear that the September 2 date is now on pause.

'I want to be clear for victims and survivors that that's the case. Prison governors, prison officers as well are doing a really important job in implementing these sorts of changes.

'We'll be giving them the most information we can so they can do this operationally.

'We're mindful of how difficult a job they've got. If they could give us a little bit of time just to make sure we get this right.'

He added: 'The PM and I have heard from victims and survivors, and from people across the country, about their concerns about the implementation of some very important elements of the Sentencing Act.

'We've taken the decision to pause it because we want to get any implementation right, to take those views of victims and survivors to be at the heart of it.'

Mr Burnham had previously paved the way for a U-turn when he promised to 'look at' the scheme on Wednesday, as he addressed anger at the possible early release of two of PC Harper's killers.

Nearly 9,000 victims of serious violent or sexual crimes have been warned that their attackers are set to be freed from prison under the scheme from September, the Telegraph reported.

Tory analysis of Ministry of Justice data estimated that almost 2,500 rapists and paedophiles would be eligible for release in September - including more than 100 rapists in prison serving sentences of more than 15 years.