Andrew Harper’s killers will not be released early, Angela Rayner says

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 11, 2026 8:34am Updated August 11, 2026 8:35am Jessie Cole, left, and Albert Bowers, who were passengers in the car that dragged Andrew Harper to his death in 2019 (Picture: Thames Valley Police/PA Wire) The killers of PC Andrew Harper will not be released early, Angela Rayner has said – although we won’t find out how the exemption works until next month. There was uproar earlier in the summer when it was revealed Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers would be set free in the early release scheme, which is intended to relieve pressure on the prison system. Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to look into ways of keeping them locked up, but when he later unveiled plans to stop the early release of criminals including rapists and child sex offe