David Lammy has acknowledged that he lacked complete information regarding the mistaken release of a prisoner when he opted not to address questions during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Acting on behalf of Keir Starmer yesterday, the Deputy PM defended his decision not to provide more details to MPs, citing the risk of potentially misinforming the House of Commons and the public without having all the necessary facts.
During a heated exchange on Wednesday, Mr. Lammy, also serving as the Justice Secretary, expressed frustration when questioned by Tory James Cartlidge about possible additional mistaken releases of asylum seekers following the release of Hadush Kebatu from an Epping hotel.
Rather than directly responding to Cartlidge’s inquiries, Mr. Lammy criticized the Tory government’s track record on prisons. However, post-PMQs, it was disclosed that another prisoner, registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, had been erroneously released from HMP Wandsworth, raising concerns about Mr. Lammy’s awareness of the situation.
Notably, Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker, the focus of Cartlidge’s questioning. The Ministry of Justice clarified that details were still unfolding about the case at the time of PMQs, including the offender’s immigration status.
When asked about the PMQs incident, Mr. Lammy explained, “I was first made aware of this on Wednesday morning while at the department, gathering information from officials and preparing for Prime Minister’s Questions. At the dispatch box, I did not possess all the details, which were later disclosed after the session.”
He added, “I made the decision that it is crucial to have complete information when addressing serious matters like this to the House and the public. Lacking all the details could lead to inadvertent misinformation. Therefore, I believe my decision was the correct one.”
Following the revelation of Kaddour-Cherif’s erroneous release, another mistaken release was reported involving William, also known as Billy, Smith, a fraudster released due to a mix-up in his sentence with another individual sharing his surname, a court error rather than a prison service mistake.
Mr. Lammy, who assumed the role of Justice Secretary in a recent reshuffle, conceded that Labour faces a significant challenge in resolving the prisons crisis, emphasizing the need to reduce error rates in releases.
Acknowledging the ongoing paper-based system prone to human error, Mr. Lammy highlighted the historical prevalence of errors in the prison system, stressing the urgent need to address the crisis despite the substantial obstacles ahead.
