Blunkett maintained the line: life means life

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The fate of Myra Hindley has haunted successive home secretaries. Acutely aware that any move to release her would trigger a wave of outrage, they have lined up to insist that life must mean life.

It is more than 12 years since a Tory home secretary, David Waddington, first ruled that the Moors Murderers should have a "whole life tariff".

The finding was subsequently endorsed by Michael Howard, who drew up a list of notorious killers who should never be freed. When Labour came to power in 1997, the new Home Secretary, Jack Straw, was not inclined to offer such prisoners any prospect of release.

When Hindley died yesterday, her name remained alongside that of Ian Brady, DennisNilsen, Harold Shipman and Rosemary West.

A campaign in support of Hindley's release was led by the late Lord Longford, who was convinced she had made great progress towards being rehabilitated into society.

A series of legal challenges introduced since Labour incorporated the Human Rights Act into English law radically changed the relationship between the Government and the courts and gave renewed hope to Hindley.

In 1982, Lord Lane, Lord Chief Justice at the time, advised that Hindley should serve no less than 25 years, suggesting she might be eligible for release in 1991. But politicians raised her minimum tariff, first to 30 years, and then to life.

Two years ago, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Home Secretary had no right to set tariffs for children convicted of killing.

In a further curtailment of the Home Secretary's powers, the European Court ruled this year that David Blunkett had no right to overrule the parole board if it had recommended a killer's release from jail.

The legal challenge that has been causing Mr Blunkett greatest concern is being brought before the law lords next month by double murderer Anthony Anderson, who is challenging the Home Secretary's right to fix tariffs for murderers. The ruling is expected to go against Mr Blunkett.

But even if Hindley had lived long enough to hear of the ruling, she may never have been freed. Mr Blunkett is fully aware of the effect that Hindley's release would have had on his party's reputation and has already indicated plans for new legislation to block the release of the most notorious killers.