UK News Roundup: Burnham's Prison Row, Energy Battery Plan, and Top Gear Lawsuit

Just days after he took office, the Guardian says that Andy Burnham has become "immersed in a deepening political row", external, as he paused plans for some prisoners to be released early. One government official is quoted as saying that there are "no easy choices", adding that "we will hit prison capacity by Christmas" if he doesn't continue with the scheme. But the shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy writes in the Daily Telegraph that "the clock is ticking", external and "victims need certainty".

Despite the government insisting that the scheme will still go ahead in September, one prison boss tells the Times that they have been instructed to "put planning on hold", external until ministers' intentions "become clear". Another source says that the pause has caused "bedlam", as the paper reports "chaos" in jails across England and Wales. An insider interviewed by the Daily Mail says that officials have been "summoned" to an online meeting, external with the Prison and Probation Service today.

The i Paper says the government is looking at giving low-income households large plug-in batteries to help them cut energy bills., external According to the report, the batteries - which are about the size of a cabin suitcase - can store cheap power when demand is low and release it later.

The Sun leads with an interview with the stunt driver who is suing BBC Studios, external over a crash while filming Top Gear. Paul Rees is revealed as having played the anonymous racing driver, known as The Stig. He was a passenger in a car being driven by Andrew Flintoff when it flipped over in 2022. He tells the Sun he broke his back and thought he was going to die. BBC Studios denies it was negligent.