UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick criticises Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy over the mishandling of two prisoners mistakenly freed from Wandsworth.
As reported by The Independent, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick warned David Lammy to “get a grip” after two prisoners were mistakenly released from a London jail.
Police continue the hunt for 24-year-old Algerian Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth, reported to authorities only on Tuesday, 5 November.
Authorities are also searching for William Smith, 35, who was sentenced to 45 months for fraud on Monday and was mistakenly released from the Category B prison the same day.
What did Robert Jenrick say about David Lammy’s handling of the prison crisis?
Robert Jenrick said he does not have confidence in David Lammy, describing the deputy prime minister’s handling as a “disgrace” and a “total dereliction of duty.”
Deputy Prime Minister faced backlash after failing to address the issue at PMQs on Wednesday, repeatedly refusing to confirm if more asylum seekers had been mistakenly released since the Hadush Kebatu case.
Mr Jenrick said,
“It took six days for the prison service supposedly to even become aware that this had happened and inform the Metropolitan Police, who are now a week behind in the manhunt to find him.”
He stated,
“Then the Justice Secretary is informed about this on Tuesday night, didn’t come clean. He spent the next morning, we’re told, going out shopping for a suit, rather than taking charge of his department.”
The shadow justice secretary said,
“He then comes to Parliament and doesn’t answer five straight questions about this. I think it’s a disgrace. It’s a total dereliction of duty.”
Mr Jenrick added,
“Does anyone today […] have confidence in David Lammy, I don’t. Does anyone?“The Justice Secretary’s got to get a grip.”
What did Alex Davies-Jones say about prisoner releases and public anger?
Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones was sent to face the media on Thursday, explaining that the Deputy Prime Minister was on a pre-planned visit.
She said she was “totally furious” about the mistaken release and echoed the public’s “anger and frustration” over the incident.
Ms Davies-Jones stated,
“Any mistaken release from prison is unacceptable, that’s why we’re trying to get to the bottom of this.”
The justice minister confirmed that a “crack team” of tech experts would be deployed to support the prison service in upgrading and “digitising” its operations.
She said,
“Any prisoners released in error is totally unacceptable. When the Tories left office it was around 17 a month. We are now facing around 22 a month being released in error.”
Ms Davies-Jones added,
“What we’re doing is we’re addressing this issue directly (to) be ensuring that we are putting in checks and balances. We are convening the governors to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. It’s not going to be fixed overnight, sadly, I don’t have a magic wand, but we are putting plans in place to actually fix the issues.”
What did the Ministry of Justice say about David Lammy and prisoner release?
The Ministry of Justice defended David Lammy on Wednesday, stating that “facts were still emerging” during his Commons address and that he had “not been accurately informed of key details including the offender’s immigration status.”
A spokesperson added,
“The DPM was asked questions about the release of an asylum seeker. As was confirmed after PMQs by the Home Office, the individual was not an asylum seeker. The DPM waited until after PMQs and further facts had emerged before making a statement.”
How did number 10 respond to the prisoner release blunder?
Number 10 called the wrongful release of an asylum-seeking defendant “utterly unacceptable.”
A spokesperson stated,
“We have been very open about the chaos that this government has inherited. The fact that jails were full to the point of capacity. Urgent action has been needed to do exactly that, to restore faith in the justice system. We’ve been very clear as well there is no overnight fix.”
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said,
“We completely accept that this type of case is utterly unacceptable and needs to be dealt with, and the system needs to be reformed and the appropriate checks need to be in place to stop this type of thing from ever happening.”
The official spokesperson continued,
“The public will rightly view any mistaken release of a prisoner from custody on to the streets as unacceptable. It’s importance that the police are given the time and space to bring him back into custody. And we will look into the circumstances behind this as a matter of urgency.”
How were two prisoners accidentally freed from Wandsworth prison?
As PMQs ended, a statement issued on David Lammy’s behalf said he was “absolutely outraged” over the incident.
Kaddour-Cherif is serving a sentence at Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal and has a prior conviction for indecent exposure.
He was released from the prison, which had been placed under special measures last year, but the error was only reported to the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday.
Authorities said the Algerian national is not an asylum seeker and is facing deportation for overstaying his visa.
How many prisoners were mistakenly released in the UK in 2025?
In 2025, the UK released a notable number of prisoners mistakenly. A total of 262 prisoners were released in error during the year.
The wrongful releases include a significant case where an Algerian sex offender, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, was released in error and is now on the run.
The overall error rate has increased considerably, with the number of in-error releases rising by 128% compared to the previous year, reaching 262 mistaken releases in 2025.
