David Lammy has acknowledged that he lacked all the necessary information regarding the mistaken release of a prisoner when he avoided answering questions during Prime Minister’s Questions.
As the Deputy PM filling in for Keir Starmer, Lammy defended his decision not to provide more details to MPs, citing the risk of providing inaccurate information to the House of Commons and the public without having all the facts.
During the session, Lammy, who also serves as the Justice Secretary, reacted strongly when questioned by Tory James Cartlidge about potential further mistaken releases of asylum seekers following the release of Hadush Kebatu from an Epping hotel.
Rather than directly addressing Cartlidge’s inquiries, Lammy criticized the Tory party’s prison policies. Subsequently, it was revealed after PMQs that another prisoner, registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, had been wrongly released from HMP Wandsworth, raising concerns about Lammy’s knowledge of the situation.
However, it was clarified that Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker, contrary to Cartlidge’s line of questioning. The Ministry of Justice explained that details were still emerging about the case when Lammy attended PMQs, including the offender’s immigration status.
Reflecting on the PMQs exchange, Lammy stated that he first learned about the situation on Wednesday morning and was not fully briefed before the session. He emphasized the importance of having all the necessary details before addressing serious matters to avoid misleading the House and the public.
Following the revelation of Kaddour-Cherif’s wrongful release, another case involving the mistaken release of William “Billy” Smith, due to a sentencing mix-up, came to light. Lammy, who recently assumed the role of Justice Secretary, acknowledged the challenges faced in addressing the prisons crisis and expressed a commitment to reducing errors in the system.
He highlighted the need to address the high rate of release errors in the paper-based system, attributing them to human error and emphasizing the critical need to improve the prison system despite the significant challenges ahead.
