David Lammy admitted three wrongly released prisoners are still at large today – and the government is not sure about another.
The Justice Secretary revealed the details as he finally faced a grilling from MPs, a week after brazenly dodging questions on the bungles.
Ms Lammy told the Commons that 91 prisoners have been let out by mistake in just seven months. He said three were still loose – two British nationals and a foreign national. One committed a Class B drug offence and another was convicted of aggravated burglary.
Officials are still trying to establish whether a fourth offender was still loose after being wrongly freed on November 3.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the situation over ‘Lammy’s lags’ was a ‘farce’.
The Deputy PM was heavily criticised for his evasive performance while standing in for Keir Starmer at PMQs.
Mr Lammy was branded a ‘clown’ by opponents after refusing to answer directly whether another foreign offender had been let out by mistake – only for the truth to be confirmed minutes later.
He also compounded the confusion by suggesting he had spent the morning out suit shopping instead of dealing with the crisis.
The problems surfaced after Epping migrant hotel resident and sex offender Hadush Kebatu was let out of HMP Chelmsford, on October 24 and arrested in north London after a two-day manhunt.
Justice Secretary David Lammy will come to the Commons nearly a week after he brazenly dodged questions on the bungles
Hadush Kebatu (pictured) was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre
A manhunt was launched for an Algerian prisoner who was released by mistake from Wandsworth prison (file photo)
Defending his blustering performance at PMQs, Mr Lammy said: ‘At that time, I had been alerted of the release of Brahim Kaddour-Cherif from HMP Wandsworth.
‘Details about the case were still emerging throughout Wednesday.
‘Importantly, my officials had not had confirmation about whether or not he was an asylum seeker.
‘Indeed, it was not until later that afternoon that the Home Office confirmed to the Ministry of Justice that he was not.
‘Given the nature of the opposition’s question, I made a judgment that I would wait until I had all the detail, rather than risk giving an accurate or incomplete or misleading picture to the House about a sensitive case.’
Mr Lammy’s stance prompted mutterings – even within Labour ranks – about whether he was up to the job.
The MoJ said today that 262 inmates were mistakenly let out in the year to March 2025 – a 128 per cent increase on the 115 in the previous 12 months.
Between April and October there have been another 91 releases in error.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has taken the unusual step of revealing in advance the questions he will ask Mr Lammy during a Commons session.
In an open letter, he wrote: ‘I have written to you, submitted Parliamentary questions and asked you in the House of Commons.
‘You have failed to give any answers.
‘In Parliament, I will once again ask basic questions that any competent Lord Chancellor would know the answers to.
‘How many prisoners have been accidentally released since 1st April 2025?
‘How many prisoners accidentally released are still at large?
‘Who has been accidentally released and how many are violent or sexual offenders?’
