David Lammy acknowledged that he lacked comprehensive information 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 details to MPs, citing the risk of inadvertently misleading the House of Commons and the public due to incomplete information.
During an intense exchange with Tory James Cartlidge, Lammy, who also serves as the Justice Secretary, chose to focus on criticizing the Conservative Party’s track record on prisons rather than directly addressing questions about further mistaken releases of asylum seekers. However, it later emerged that another prisoner, registered sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, had been erroneously released from HMP Wandsworth, raising concerns about Lammy’s awareness of the situation.
Despite the confusion, it was clarified that Kaddour-Cherif was not an asylum seeker, which was the subject of Cartlidge’s inquiries. The Ministry of Justice clarified that details were still unfolding about the case at the time of Lammy’s appearance at PMQs, including information about the offender’s immigration status.
In response to the scrutiny following the PMQs session, Lammy stated that he had only become aware of the situation on the morning of the session and did not possess all the necessary details while addressing the House. He emphasized the importance of having complete information before updating Parliament and the public on significant matters to avoid misinformation.
Following the revelation of Kaddour-Cherif’s mistaken release, reports surfaced about another error involving the release of William, also known as Billy, Smith, a fraudster released due to a mix-up in sentencing information. Lammy, who assumed the role of Justice Secretary in September, acknowledged the challenges faced by Labour in addressing the prison crisis, emphasizing the need to reduce errors in the release process.
Acknowledging the high error rate in releases, Lammy highlighted the need to address the longstanding issue within the paper-based system prone to human error. He underscored the urgency of tackling the crisis in the prison system, emphasizing the substantial efforts required to rectify the situation.