David Lammy has acknowledged that he lacked full details regarding the mistaken release of a prisoner when he avoided answering questions during Prime Minister’s Questions. Serving as the Deputy PM in place of Keir Starmer, Lammy defended his decision not to provide more information to MPs, citing the risk of misleading the House of Commons and the public due to incomplete information.
During a heated exchange with Tory James Cartlidge, Lammy, who also serves as the Justice Secretary, expressed frustration at repeated inquiries about further mistaken releases of asylum seekers following the release of Hadush Kebatu from an Epping hotel. Instead of directly addressing Cartlidge’s questions, Lammy criticized the Tory government’s record on prisons.
Later, it came to light that another prisoner, registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth. This incident raised questions about Lammy’s knowledge of the situation. However, it was clarified that Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker, as Cartlidge had been inquiring about. The Ministry of Justice revealed that details were still emerging at the time of PMQs, including the offender’s immigration status.
In response to the scrutiny following PMQs, Lammy explained that he had only learned about the situation on Wednesday morning and did not possess all the necessary information during the parliamentary session. He emphasized the importance of having complete details before updating the House and the public on serious matters to avoid misinformation.
Following the revelation of Kaddour-Cherif’s release error, another case involving the mistaken release of William “Billy” Smith, a fraudster, was reported. Smith’s release error stemmed from a mix-up in the courts rather than the prison service.
Reflecting on the ongoing prison crisis, Lammy, who assumed the role of Justice Secretary in September, acknowledged the challenges ahead for Labour in addressing the issue. He highlighted the high rate of release errors and emphasized the need to improve the system to prevent such incidents in the future. Lammy underscored the necessity of addressing the longstanding issues in the prison system to overcome the challenges ahead.