David Lammy acknowledged that he lacked all the necessary 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 unintentionally misleading the House of Commons and the public due to insufficient information available.
In a heated exchange on Wednesday, Lammy, who also holds the position of Justice Secretary, reacted strongly to Conservative MP James Cartlidge’s repeated inquiries about additional 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 party’s track record on prisons.
Subsequently, it was revealed post-PMQs that another prisoner, registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, had been mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth, prompting questions about Lammy’s awareness of the situation. It was clarified that Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker, unlike what Cartlidge had been asking about. The Ministry of Justice stated that further information, including the offender’s immigration status, was still being uncovered at the time Lammy appeared at PMQs.
When questioned about the PMQs exchange, Lammy explained that he had only become aware of the situation on Wednesday morning, emphasizing that he did not possess all the pertinent details during the session. He justified his decision to withhold information, emphasizing the importance of having complete information to update the House and the public accurately, thus avoiding any potential misinformation.
Subsequently, it was disclosed that another individual, William “Billy” Smith, had also been mistakenly released in error, as his sentence had been confused with someone sharing the same surname. Despite these incidents, Lammy admitted that the Labour Party faces significant challenges in addressing the prisons crisis, indicating that errors in releases must be reduced.
Acknowledging the systemic issue of release errors, Lammy highlighted the need to tackle the high rate of such mistakes and improve the prison system, noting that the paper-based system is prone to human errors. He underscored the urgency of addressing the crisis within the prison system while acknowledging the considerable task ahead.
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