David Lammy faced fury today after stonewalling repeated questions from MPs about whether another foreign prisoner had been wrongly freed – minutes before police confirmed the blunder.
The Justice Secretary was challenged five times whether he had information as he stood in for Keir Starmer at PMQs.
But Mr Lammy dodged, instead blustering that shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge needed to ‘get a grip’.
As the Commons session wrapped up, news began breaking about the latest case. The 24-year-old Algerian man was accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on October 29, but the mistake was only reported to the Metropolitan Police.
It comes after migrant Hadush Kebatu was wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford on October 24.
Tories demanded an apology and for Mr Lammy to return to the Commons to make a statement.
Justice Secretary David Lammy was challenged five times whether he had information as he stood in for Keir Starmer at PMQs
A manhunt has been launched for an Algerian prisoner who was released by mistake from Wandsworth prison (file photo)
Robert Jenrick accused Mr Lammy of ‘covering up’ the ‘farce’ in the House of Commons
The Deputy PM is understood to have believed it would have been irresponsible to talk about the mistaken release of a second foreign prisoner while details were still emerging.
Mr Lammy released a statement this afternoon saying he is ‘absolutely outraged’ about the mistake – and seemingly confirming that he knew of the situation yesterday.
‘The Metropolitan Police is leading an urgent manhunt, and my officials have been working through the night to take him back to prison.
‘Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers.
‘That is why I have already brought in the strongest checks ever to clamp down on such failures and ordered an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens to uncover what went wrong and address the rise in accidental releases which has persisted for too long.’
He said the latest incident ‘exposes deeper flaws’ across the criminal justice system and Dame Lynne’s review will leave ‘no stone unturned’ to identify the issues so they can be fixed.
The Algerian is not currently an asylum seeker, it is understood.
However, his exact immigration status in Britain remains unknown.
It is possible the man first entered the UK as an asylum seeker and has since been granted permission to stay in humanitarian grounds.
Alternatively he may have entered through a separate legal route, such as on a student visa.
At PMQs, Mr Cartlidge asked multiple times whether there had been any further mistaken releases after Kebatu was freed.
Addressing Mr Lammy, Mr Cartlidge said: ‘He’s the Justice Secretary. He’s responsible for the justice system. He needs to take responsibility.
‘And I’m going to repeat it once more for the avoidance of doubt, because he did not answer it twice.
‘Can he reassure the House that since Kebatu was released, no other asylum-seeking offender has been accidentally let out of prison?’
Mr Lammy, who stood in for Sir Keir Starmer, responded: ‘Get a grip, man, I know I’m the Justice Secretary, that’s why I’m at the despatch box.’
‘We know that there have been spikes since 2021 under his watch. When did he come to this House and apologise?’
Earlier, Mr Cartlidge said: ‘The public are extremely concerned about what happened in the Kebatu case, they want to know there won’t be a repeat.
‘So I’m putting to him a very clear question about his responsibilities. I repeat, can he reassure the House that since Kebatu was released, no other asylum seeking offender has been accidentally let out of prison.’
The latest episode comes after Hedush Kebatu was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre
Mr Lammy replied he was looking forward to the next time he faced shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, adding: ‘In 25 years in this House, I have not witnessed a more shameful spectacle frankly than what the party opposite left in our justice system.
‘Their criminal negligence, on his watch as a former justice minister, they left our prisons on the brink of collapse entirely, threatening to allow offenders to run wild on our streets. He knows that. Rape victims waiting years for their day in court. He knows that. Neighbourhood policing decimated, leaving our people feeling unsafe in their communities, and they haven’t learned a thing.
‘We are tackling knife crime, that’s why it’s falling, 13,000 more bobbies we are putting on the streets, kicking out 5,000 foreign criminal offenders. I’ve got to say, he should do better.’