A UK government press release dated 30 August 2026 said the Prime Minister had ordered that people imprisoned for unlawful killing and historic child sex offences be blocked from upcoming changes to prison sentences. It said all forms of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving, causing or allowing the death of a child, and killing an emergency worker in the line of duty would also be excluded, building on earlier exclusions covering rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham was quoted as saying he wanted to go further but had pushed the system to its limits without risking the prison system collapsing. The release said the government would introduce tagging and restriction zones for some sexual and violent offenders, and would work to end Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences within the Parliament.

The same release said adult male prisons were at 98% capacity and that more than 3,200 prison places had been built, with 14,000 expected by 2031. It also said powers to deport some foreign criminals immediately after sentencing would be implemented early the following year.