Minister Confronted Over Prison System Failures
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy is facing mounting pressure to disclose crucial information about a series of prison release errors, with warnings he should resign if he fails to provide adequate answers. The senior minister has been challenged to reveal the full scale of how many criminals have been wrongly freed and how many remain at large.
This development comes as Mr Lammy prepares to appear before MPs for the first time since his widely criticised performance at Prime Minister's Questions last week, where he failed to disclose that another foreign offender had been mistakenly released.
Opposition Demands Transparency
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has taken the unusual step of publicly revealing the questions he intends to press Mr Lammy on during tomorrow's Commons session. In an open letter shared on social media, Mr Jenrick wrote: "I have written to you, submitted Parliamentary questions and asked you in the House of Commons. You have failed to give any answers."
Mr Jenrick's specific demands include revealing: how many prisoners have been accidentally released since 1st April 2025, how many mistakenly freed prisoners remain at large, and detailed information about who has been released, including how many are violent or sexual offenders.
The Conservative MP added a stark warning: "This is a matter of the utmost seriousness. If you refuse again to provide this information despite my multiple requests, and my forewarning, the only remaining conclusion is that you are incapable of telling the truth. In which case, you must make way for someone who will."
Series of Release Errors Exposed
The pressure intensified following several high-profile cases of mistaken releases. Hadush Kebatu, a sex offender residing at an Epping migrant hotel, was released from HMP Chelmsford on October 24 and was only arrested in north London after a two-day manhunt.
During last week's PMQs, which Mr Lammy led in Sir Keir Starmer's absence, he was directly questioned about whether there had been further erroneous releases. He failed to mention that Algerian criminal Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, serving time for trespass with intent to steal and with a previous conviction for indecent exposure, had been mistakenly freed.
Alarmingly, police were not informed about Kaddour-Cherif's release for six days before he was eventually detained on Friday.
Mr Lammy later defended his omission, stating he had been "right" not to disclose the case because he was "not equipped with all the detail." He explained: "I took the judgment that it is important when updating the House and the country about serious matters like this, that you have all of the details. I was not equipped with all of the detail, and the danger is that you end up misleading the House and the general public."
In another separate incident, fraudster William 'Billy' Smith, 35, was freed from HMP Wandsworth on the very day he was due to begin a 45-month sentence due to a clerical error by court staff. He later handed himself in to authorities.
Mr Jenrick described these cases as "just the tip of the iceberg" and emphasised that "The British people deserve to know the truth about the scale of the security crisis in our prisons."
With Mr Lammy due to face MPs for a routine question-and-answer session tomorrow, the recent jail release scandals are expected to dominate proceedings, placing further scrutiny on his handling of the justice portfolio.
