In his first few weeks in Downing Street, Andy Burnham could hardly have been clearer that his aim as prime minister is to make people feel better. His critics, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, have branded him a "people pleaser" who doesn't want to take difficult decisions. The conundrum over how to manage the early release of prisoners is an acute example of the tricky political decision-making that inevitably comes with power. Andy Burnham could have chosen to modify the early release scheme, which he inherited from the Starmer government, according to the length of offenders' sentences. That quickly became the first big test for an administration that prides itself on its ability to communicate.