Lammy Admits Lacking “Full Information” on Wrongful Prisoner Release During PMQs

David Lammy recorded a joint interview after yesterday's PMQs about the mistakes uncovered in the prisoner releases. The excerpts available so far have three main lines.

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Lammy defended his decision to avoid a question at PMQs yesterday about whether another prisoner had been mistakenly released. The Conservative Party has strongly criticized him for this. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Lammy's lack of response was "dishonest," and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Lammy's performance at PMQs was "shameful" and a "dereliction of duty." (See 9:34 a.m.) Lammy was asked if he was aware of the mistaken release of another refugee; at the time, he was aware that a foreign prisoner had been released earlier, but claims he didn't have complete information about the offender, who turned out not to be a refugee, as it later emerged. Asked if he should have provided more information to MPs, Lammy replied:

I first learned about this [prisoner release error] on Wednesday morning. I was in the department, receiving information from officials and preparing for Prime Minister's Questions.

I did not have the full information at the Dispatch Box. That information was actually released only after the Prime Minister's Questions.

I decided that when briefing the House and the country on such serious matters, it's important to have complete information. I didn't have complete information.

The danger is that you're misleading the House and the public. So that's why I made that decision. I think this is the right decision.

(It's hard to understand how Lammy could have misled the Commons if he had only told MPs the facts he knew and those they were still waiting to learn.)

Lammy claimed that the foreign prisoner mentioned in PMQs (Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, an Algerian) was mistakenly released from Wandsworth Prison before the start of the additional prisoner release investigations ordered by Lammy. Lammy initiated these investigations after former refugee Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford Prison. Lammy said:

We have learned that the release that has caused concern this week was made a few weeks after Kebatu's release, before I initiated these investigations.

And the other prisoner [Billy Smith] was a court error, not a prison error.

This is strange because the Ministry of Justice announced on October 27th that these new checks were coming into effect "from today," but yesterday news broke that Kaddur-Sheriff was mistakenly released on October 29th. I've asked the Ministry of Justice for clarification.

Lammy said that mistakes in prison releases have been a problem "for a generation" and that the government has "a mountain to climb" to solve it. He said:

The truth is, I've only been in this position for two months. The rate of mistaken releases is very high. It has to be reduced.

I've asked the former Deputy Met Commissioner, Dame Lyn Owens, to look into this and get back to me as soon as possible.

This is a paper-based system, which is obviously prone to human error.

There were 800 mistakes during the previous government's tenure. It's been going on for a generation. Our prison system is in crisis. We have to address this. But we have a mountain to climb.