Burnham pledges to end indefinite jail terms as critics warn he is quietly ditching radical promises

Andy Burnham has pledged to bring forward legislation abolishing Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences before parliament rises, calling the situation an injustice that left prisoners with "no prospect of release." Some 856 people remain held under the defunct IPP regime; four in five have spent more than a decade beyond their minimum tariff, and a further 1,415 have been recalled to custody after release on licence. The Justice Secretary is due to set out the formal plan to parliament on Tuesday. Reports indicate that Burnham has spent the summer quietly retreating from a range of radical campaign commitments, on matters stretching from Thames Water to electoral reform.

Marc Conway, who served time under IPP and now leads a campaign group, called the pledge 'an essential first step' but said it was long overdue.

Burnham addressed the tension directly, saying he would sooner free those who had served their time than continue releasing early killers such as the murderers of PC Andrew Harper.

The IPP announcement has reportedly been framed as part of a broader pattern of retreat from campaign rhetoric rather than a bold act of leadership, with critics arguing it sits alongside a succession of broken promises.