Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered a review of the government's early prisoner-release policy after outrage over the possibility that two men convicted in connection with the death of PC Andrew Harper could qualify.

The new arrangements are due to begin in September under the Sentencing Act and are intended to relieve pressure on an overcrowded prison system. Around 6,000 people are expected to be released under the scheme.

The controversy intensified after the Ministry of Justice confirmed that Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers might be eligible for release after serving half of their sentences. Both were sentenced to 13 years in custody for manslaughter following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2020.

PC Harper, a 28-year-old Thames Valley Police officer, died in August 2019 after becoming entangled in a crane strap attached to a getaway car while responding to the theft of a quad bike. He was dragged for more than a mile.

Henry Long, who was driving the vehicle, received a 16-year sentence. Burnham said Long would not be eligible for the early-release scheme because of the form of sentence imposed on him.

The officer's widow, Lissie Harper, described the prospect of early release for prisoners convicted over the case as deplorable. His mother, Debbie Adlam, said it felt like an insult and a slap in the face.

Speaking in Bath, Burnham said he would review the whole policy with the justice secretary before it proceeds. He acknowledged the pressure on prison places but said he wanted to ensure every part of the scheme had been examined.

The dispute highlights a difficult policy problem. Prisons cannot operate safely or lawfully when they are persistently overcrowded. Early-release mechanisms can provide emergency capacity, but they can also damage public confidence when they appear to benefit people connected to serious or highly distressing crimes.

The current scheme has drawn criticism because it does not automatically exclude every prisoner convicted of a serious offence. That creates difficult distinctions between sentence type, legal eligibility and the circumstances of individual cases.

The government will now have to decide whether to add exclusions, alter eligibility tests or retain the policy with stronger safeguards. Any significant change could reduce the number of available prison places and force ministers to find capacity elsewhere.

The Harper case carries particular public weight. It prompted a national campaign and legislation commonly known as Harper's Law, which introduced mandatory life sentences for people who kill emergency workers while committing a crime, subject to judicial exceptions.

The new release policy does not overturn the sentences imposed in the case. It changes the point at which some prisoners may become eligible to leave custody under supervision. For victims' families, however, that distinction may offer little comfort.

The row exposes the central tension in prison policy: relieving overcrowding without appearing to diminish the seriousness of grave offences.

Burnham's review has paused the political momentum behind the scheme. The next question is whether it produces a narrow exception for cases such as Harper's, or a broader change to an early-release policy that was designed to address an urgent capacity crisis.