Andy Burnham will also delay release of thousands of prisoners across England and Wales a month, until October

Rapists, child sexual abusers and groomers will be excluded from early release plans to ease critical prison overcrowding in a major intervention by Andy Burnham.

The prime minister said on Tuesday that he would delay the planned early release of thousands of prisoners across England and Wales by a month until October.

PM says he wants to ensure ‘everything has been looked at’ amid outrage at policy from family of PC Andrew Harper

Andy Burnham is immersed in a deepening political row after ordering a review of plans for the early release of thousands of killers, rapists and sex offenders from prison in September.

After the family of PC Andrew Harper expressed outrage that his killers may be eligible for release, the prime minister responded by pledging to make sure that “everything has been looked at again” before a fresh tranche of about 6,000 offenders were freed on tags.