The notion of PC Andrew Harper's killers being released early from jail will appal all right-thinking people.

But it clearly hasn't dawned on Andy Burnham that setting free inmates held under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) orders is an equally repugnant prospect.

This move is particularly worrying for domestic violence and stalking victims whose tormentors are currently locked up under IPP legislation. The knowledge that their abusers could soon be free to inflict further physical and psychological pain will be a cause of almost unimaginable distress to these women.

True to form, the Prime Minister has outlined his plans in only sketchy detail. But it already looks like a textbook example of ordinary people being expected to bear the brunt of government failures.

Putting vicious offenders back on the streets is an unacceptable answer to insufficient space in the penal system. The obvious solution would be to create temporary accommodation until a proper prison-building programme can be launched.

Given that 'Nightingale' hospitals were quickly set up to deal with additional pressure on the health service during the Covid crisis, is there anything to stop Labour taking a similar approach to the emergency in our jails?

It is also clear that the PM has, in certain respects, been making it up as he goes along. After previously insisting that the release of PC Harper's killers could not be stopped, he changed his position when the extent of the outrage became apparent.

Little wonder that one of his own ministers now says he 'bowed to public pressure'. His handling of the situation certainly suggests he is far more interested in being liked than he is in governing in a purposeful manner.

And therein lies the biggest irony of all. While there are many ways of courting popularity, the PM is likely to find that releasing dangerous criminals with a history of violence against women isn't one of them.

Totally indefensible

Nothing we have seen so far indicates that the Burnham government has the political judgment needed to run the country. Nowhere is this more apparent than in ministers' approach to the most fundamental responsibility of any administration – the defence of the realm.

The threat from Russia is growing by the day. Vladimir Putin is acting in an increasingly aggressive manner towards the West. Bosses at British defence companies have been warned that they could be targeted in hybrid attacks by the Kremlin.

Yet there is no sign of any urgency on the Government's part in making Britain safe from the overseas threat. The prospects of spending on defence rising to 3 per cent of GDP by the 2030 deadline are dimmer than ever. New figures show that Army chiefs turned away more than 200 would-be recruits every day last year.

The PM may well think that splurging precious public funds on gimmicks and vanity projects is a clever idea. But £2 bus fares won't be much good to anyone when Putin really starts flexing his muscles in our direction.

Well done, Iceland 

Congratulations to the people of Iceland for voting against resuming talks to join the EU. Unsurprisingly, Brussels was said to have been keen to welcome a 'wealthy' new member to the bloc.

Not only would Icelanders have effectively given up their independence by joining, they would - like Britons before them - have also ended up contributing far more in monetary terms than they could have ever hoped to receive in return.