Call me a cynic, but when Andy Burnham started fumbling so badly over the early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers, I suspected it was political theatre. Nearly a million people have signed a petition organised by the Police Federation, demanding that Cole and Bowers' release be blocked. That, I might add, is about 40 times more than voted Andy Burnham into Parliament for the seat of Makerfield – the flimsy basis of his premiership. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has approved a controversial prison release scheme to ease overcrowding in jails<p>Your browser does not support iframes.</p>That was patent nonsense. Rapists and child-sex offenders are already ineligible for early release following a huge public outcry.