Change at the Top
A New Prime Minister. What Will Change for Victims? The government has changed. For victims, the real test is whether the justice system changes with it.
Andy Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July, beginning his time in office with a major Cabinet reshuffle and promises of a new direction.
Changes at the top of government can create momentum. New ministers arrive, priorities are reconsidered, and previous policies come under review.
But victims and survivors will not judge this reset by who has been promoted or removed. They will judge it by whether they are safer, better informed and properly heard.
An immediate test: early prisoner release
One of the first major justice issues facing the new Prime Minister is the planned prisoner early-release scheme.
Following widespread concern, Burnham announced a review of the policy. Preparations for the September releases have now reportedly been paused while the government reconsiders the proposals.
The intervention followed anger over the possibility that those convicted in connection with the death of PC Andrew Harper could benefit from the changes. His widow, Lissie Harper, has strongly criticised the scheme and the wider principle of shortening sentences in this way.
The Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman, has welcomed the review while warning that safeguards promised to victims have not yet been fully delivered.
Her concerns include risk assessments, communication with victims, supervision in the community and the support available to those affected by an offender’s release. She has said she currently lacks confidence that the scheme can be managed in a way that fully protects victims and maintains trust in the justice system.
The pressures on prisons are undeniable. But victims cannot continually be expected to absorb the consequences of a system in crisis.
Release policies are not merely administrative decisions. They affect survivors planning for their safety, families preparing for an offender’s return to the community and victims who may already feel they have had little control throughout the justice process.
Any review must therefore look beyond prison capacity. It must ask who should be eligible, whether victims receive enough notice, whether their concerns inform risk planning and whether probation and specialist services are equipped to manage releases safely.
Pausing the plans is a significant step. What matters now is whether victims’ safety, rights and confidence genuinely shape what happens next.
A chance to rebuild trust
The new government inherits a justice system in which victims face long court delays, inconsistent communication and support services under considerable pressure.
A reshuffle offers an opportunity to reset priorities, but victims have heard promises of reform before.
They need safety to be treated as central to justice policy, clear communication about decisions affecting them, meaningful involvement before policies are implemented and properly funded specialist support.
They also need rights that lead to accountability when agencies fail to deliver them.
Lived experience must not be sought only after something has gone wrong. Victims and specialist organisations should be involved while policies are being designed, not simply invited to react once decisions have already been made.
Change must be felt beyond Westminster
The commitment to review early release is an important first step. But a review alone will not restore confidence. The measure of this new government will be whether victims notice a difference: whether they receive information before reading it in the news, whether safety concerns shape decisions and whether their rights are treated as more than promises on paper.
