David Lammy told to ‘get a grip’ as search continues for mistakenly freed prisoners
David Lammy has been told to “get a handle” on the prison crisis as the justice secretary continues to come under pressure over the mistaken release of two prisoners from a London prison.
Robert Jenrick told the BBC he did not trust Mr Lammy and also suggested the deputy prime minister’s handling of questions on Wednesday was a “disgrace” and a “total dereliction of duty”.
Police are working to trace 24-year-old Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, who was mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth last Wednesday, October 29.
They are also searching for another prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, who was mistakenly released from a south-west London prison on Monday.
Mr Lammy is under fire for failing to address the issue while standing in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday and for failing to tell MPs whether any more asylum seekers had been mistakenly released from prison since the Epping hotel migrant Hadush Kebatu case.
It turned out that Kaddur-Şerif was not a refugee.
Mr Jenrick told Radio 4’s Today programme: “It took six days for the prison service to even become aware of this incident and notify the Metropolitan Police, who are now a week behind in the manhunt to find him.
“Then the Minister of Justice was informed about this on Tuesday night, but no statement was made.”
We are told that he spent the next morning shopping for a suit rather than taking charge of his department.
“Then he comes to Parliament and doesn’t answer five direct questions about it. I think that’s a disgrace. It’s a complete dereliction of duty.”
The story broke as the PMQs were drawing to a close, and a comment posted on behalf of Mr Lammy said Kaddour-Cherif was “absolutely furious” at his release.
Mr Lammy is understood to have been briefed on the incident on Tuesday night and The Times newspaper reported that he had a statement ready to be read should the news break but did not do so for fear of intervention by the Metropolitan Police.
Speaking on the same programme, Mr Jenrick said: “Anyone out today? […] I trust David Lammy, but I don’t trust him. Is there anyone? “The Minister of Justice needs to be on top of the issue.”
Mr Lammy’s ministerial colleague Alex Davies-Jones was sent out to answer media questions on Thursday morning and told the BBC the deputy Prime Minister was on an extended visit.
Justice Secretary Ms Davies-Jones told Sky News she was “completely outraged” about the eviction and shared the public’s “anger and disappointment” over the issue.
He told the broadcaster: “Accidental release from prison is unacceptable, so we are trying to get to the bottom of this.” He also said a “crack team” of tech experts would be brought in to assist prison services and help “digitise” systems.
The Ministry of Justice defended Mr Lammy on Wednesday night in a statement saying “the facts are still emerging” and that “the offender was not properly informed of important details, including his immigration status” when he spoke in the House of Commons at lunchtime on Wednesday.
A spokesman said: “DPM was asked questions about the release of an asylum seeker. As confirmed by the Home Office following PMQs, this person was not an asylum seeker. “DPM waited until the PMQs and other facts emerged before making a statement.”Kaddour-Cherif is serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal in Wandsworth, but has also previously been convicted of indecent exposure.
He said he was released from a special measures prison on October 29 last year, but the error was only reported to the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday.
It was learned that the Algerian citizen was not an asylum seeker, but was in the process of being deported after his visa expired.
Smith, who has links to the Woking area, was released on Monday and was jailed for 45 months for multiple fraud offenses on the same day he was accidentally released.
