Key facts
- Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham is advocating for child sexual abuse perpetrators to be excluded from early prison release.
- Urgent talks are underway to determine which serious offenders will be exempted from release to alleviate prison overcrowding.
- A decision on offender exemptions is expected within 24 hours.
- Andy Burnham has pledged a "relentless" approach to curbing small boat crossings.
- Enforcement officers for small boat crossings have been doubled.
- Over 2,000 migrants have arrived by small boat since Burnham took office.
- Burnham argues that devolution strengthens the case for a written UK constitution.
- Regional mayors are set to retain a share of income tax by early 2028.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is actively campaigning to ensure that perpetrators of child sexual abuse are not included in the government's early prison release scheme. This initiative is part of urgent discussions aimed at alleviating prison overcrowding by identifying serious offenders for exemption. A decision on these exemptions is anticipated within the next 24 hours.