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It's time to stop digging, David Lammy - Justice Secretary says he 'didn't have all the facts' when ducking MPs' questions about migrant sex offender freed by mistake READ: Starmer backs 'stonewalling' David Lammy after prisoner release errors By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 22:21 GMT, 6 November 2025 | Updated: 22:22 GMT, 6 November 2025 David Lammy was on Thursday night urged to 'stop digging and come clean' as he tried to dodge responsibility for the accidental release of foreign sex offenders. The Deputy PM and Justice Secretary was struggling to contain a growing backlash on Thursday after a second foreign criminal was mistakenly set free – just days after he pledged to impose the 'strongest release checks ever'. Mr Lammy faced fury this week after repeatedly dodging questions in the Commons about his knowledge of the accidental release of any other 'asylum-seeking offender' – at a time when news of the second blunder had not yet been made public. Minutes later, police revealed that Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been freed from Wandsworth prison in south-west London by mistake. It followed a national outcry over the accidental release last month of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu. On Thursday, Mr Lammy insisted he had not been 'equipped with all of the detail' on Kaddour-Cherif when he ducked five questions on further accidental releases while standing in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. But shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick dismissed the claim as 'total bull****'. Mr Jenrick said: 'Every time Calamity Lammy intervenes, he makes things worse. He's either lied or has absolutely no clue what's going on in his department. It's time he stopped digging and finally came clean with the facts.' Mr Lammy, on a visit to HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, where he helped break ground on a prison expansion project, named HMP Welland Oaks, acknowledged he had a 'mountain to climb' to get on top of the prisons crisis. But he insisted he could not be blamed for the recent spate of accidental releases. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy speaking during a groundbreaking event for a new prison next to HMP Gartree in Market Harborough on November 6 Mr Lammy helped break ground on a prison expansion project, named HMP Welland Oaks The Justice Secretary complained he had been in post for only two months and was informed of Kaddour-Cherif's release on Wednesday morning – a day later than previously briefed by his officials. And he said the fault ultimately lay with years of Tory 'austerity'. Mr Lammy acknowledged the number of accidental releases – which has soared under Labour – was 'too high'. He told Channel 4 News: 'We have a paper-based system that depends on human beings, not technology, and that will need to change. 'It is subject to human error. I want to see the figures come down to more reasonable levels than we're seeing at the moment. But the system is overheating.' Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally released on October 29, two days after Mr Lammy announced he was imposing the 'strongest release checks ever' with 'immediate effect'. Bizarrely, Mr Lammy claimed on Thursday that Kaddour-Cherif's release 'was actually before I introduced those checks'. Whitehall sources later said the Ministry of Justice was investigating evidence that the mistakes that triggered his release took place in September. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Lammy of 'incompetence and dysfunction'. Asked whether he misled the House, Mrs Badenoch replied: 'It's quite clear that he had answers which he refused to give.' Speaking about the accidental releases, she added: 'These people are making a mockery of our country. They are laughing at the justice system. Labour needs to get a grip right now.' Former Tory justice secretary Michael Gove said Mr Lammy 'doesn't really command the confidence' needed to run the justice system. Mr Lammy acknowledged he had a 'mountain to climb' to get on top of the prisons crisis Mr Lammy claimed on Thursday that Kaddour-Cherif's release 'was actually before I introduced those checks' Keir Starmer backs David Lammy after prisoner release errors - but says he is 'angry and frustrated' One Labour MP described Mr Lammy's handling of the crisis as 'shockingly bad'. But Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said he should be cut some slack for his performance in the Commons, telling the BBC: 'Look, it's always a learning curve in these things. It's the first time he's done it. You know, not very many people are really, really good at it from day one. It does kind of take experience as well as sort of, you know, a lot of preparation and ability.' The Liberal Democrats on Thursday night urged the Government to recall Parliament from a mini-recess that started on Thursday so Mr Lammy could make a statement 'setting out the exact timeline covering what happened and when, including when he received information and what advice he received from officials'. On Thursday night, Sir Keir defended Mr Lammy's refusal to answer questions in the Commons on Wednesday, saying it was 'right' that the Justice Secretary was 'setting out the facts to the best of his knowledge'. Speaking to broadcasters in Brazil, the Prime Minister said: 'Let me just say how angry and frustrated I am that these mistakes have been made in releasing people. They're intolerable and they shouldn't be made. 'A lot of it comes from the burden and the strain on the system because of the failures of the last government. But I recognise it's our job to step up and to fix this, and we will. 'David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, has convened the [prison] governors to talk to them about what more can be done, but we must put the systems in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again, and we will.' Sir Keir said that an independent inquiry was also being launched into the releases 'to find out what's going wrong'. LabourDavid LammyKeir StarmerLondon Share or comment on this article: It's time to stop digging, David Lammy - Justice Secretary says he 'didn't have all the facts' when ducking MPs' questions about migrant sex offender freed by mistake Add comment
