Burnham to focus on keeping child rapists in prison as release scheme talks enter final day

Review goes down to the wire after ministers speak with victims’ representatives and support services

Andy Burnham is focused on preventing the release of child sexual abuse perpetrators as part of the government’s early release scheme, as urgent talks on which serious criminals could be exempted go down to the wire.

Government ministers are understood to have 24 hours to assess which criminals can be released early to free up prison space, with every exemption weighed up against the threat of the criminal justice system’s collapse.