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Pc Andrew Harper – Burnham to present findings soon
Justice Secretary Alex Norris is drawing up plans to “maximise public safety and minimise the early release of prisoners”, Mr Burnham said.
It comes as the Prime Minister faces increasing pressure to prevent Pc Andrew Harper’s killers Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole from being freed early.
Mr Burnham pledged to do “everything possible” to ensure the pair aren’t eligible for early release.
Pressed on reports ministers are considering exempting prisoners who committed “unlawful act” manslaughter from the scheme, he said “at this moment in time, this is speculation”.
A former leading judge has warned it would be “unlawful” to block solely Bowers and Cole from early release while freeing other prisoners convicted of the same offence.
However, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd said the rule change surrounding the type of manslaughter could be workable in practice.
Bowers and Cole, two of the Abingdon-based cop’s three killers, were passengers in the car that dragged the police officer down a country road after he got caught in a strap attached to the vehicle as they fled the scene of a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in 2019.
The prospect of the pair’s release next year halfway through their 13-year sentences has prompted widespread condemnation of the early release scheme.
Mr Burnham ordered a review of the scheme under the Sentencing Act shortly after taking office, but while changes were announced to prevent rapists and paedophiles being released early, the measures did not cover Pc Harper’s killers.
The Prime Minister told reporters: “I’ve said I want to do everything possible to ensure we don’t see the release of people involved in the killing of Pc Harper and other individuals.
“I recognise that it’s very hard for his family. The anniversary of his death passed just at the weekend, so we understand that this is a difficult time.
“But it is important, given the public concern, that I do everything possible to get this right. That I do everything possible to minimise early release. That’s why we’re looking at every way I can do that, with the Justice Secretary, and we’ll present our findings in two weeks’ time.”
Asked about the specific exemption, Mr Burnham said: “At this moment in time, this is speculation, because I asked the Justice Secretary to develop a plan to maximise public safety and minimise the early release of prisoners.”
Lord Thomas, an independent crossbench peer who previously served as lord chief justice of England and Wales, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “People are found guilty of manslaughter in three different circumstances.
“One, because they’ve been charged with murder and have a specific defence.
“Secondly, because they have committed an act which is grossly negligent that has resulted in death.
“And thirdly, involuntary manslaughter…, where there’s been an unlawful act such as a punch, someone’s fallen over, hit his head on the kerb, and died.
“That is the unlawful act manslaughter which they’re seeking to exempt.
“So it is quite possible to distinguish the three types of manslaughter.”
Lord Thomas said “it may not be that straightforward” for prison staff to determine which type of manslaughter an inmate committed from their prison records.
But, he said, it “should be relatively easy to tell that from the sentencing remarks, which are always transmitted with the prisoner’s record”.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Public safety will always be our priority.
“We are fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most serious offenders behind bars, on top of murderers, anyone on life sentences and those in prison for rape, serious child sexual abuse and grooming offences who are already blocked from any changes.
“We share the public’s anger that these options are even being considered, after we inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse.
“We are fixing this by building 14,000 new prison places, expanding electronic tagging on an unprecedented scale, and investing in probation services at record levels.
“We are also exploring how we can go further, including faster deportation of foreign criminals, better use of the women’s estate and reviewing the unjust IPP (indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection) sentences.”
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
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The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
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Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
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Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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