Fury at confirmation David Lammy did know second sex offender had been freed by mistake

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy did know that a second foreign sex offender had been wrongly released from prison when he refused to answer questions in Parliament, according to reports - and he even had a statement prepared. But he failed to read out the comments, which included an expression of outrage on behalf of victims, when he was asked five times if more prisoners had been set free by mistake.

And there are reports that Labour government colleagues are angry about the way that Mr Lammy, who is in charge of prisons in his role as Justice Secretary, dealt with the questions. Critics have accused him of "bluster" and becoming angry when interrogated by Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge, even though he knew the concerns raised by the Tories were justified.

The Times reports: "David Lammy had a pre-prepared statement that was ready to go on the accidental release of the migrant sex offender as he stood at the despatch box. It expressed outrage on behalf of victims and criticised the Tories. But he didn't use it, instead refusing to comment when it was repeatedly put to him that a prisoner had been released.

"Lammy is said not to have wanted to pre-empt any statement from the Met Police. The statement was there in case the news broke during Prime Minister's questions."

And Times political editor Steve Swinford added: "But there are mounting questions in Government this afternoon about his refusal to answer very pointed questions from the Tories on it and the defiant tone he took at the despatch box."

Asking questions in Parliament, Mr Cartlidge highlighted the case of Hadush Kebatu, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, sparking a wave of protests, and was accidentally freed from prison instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre last month.

Kebatu was eventually deported to his native Ethiopia, but was given £500 to persuade him to co-operate with the flight home.

And Mr Cartlidge asked Mr Lammy: "Can he reassure the House that since Kebatu was released, no other asylum-seeking offender has been accidentally let out of prison?"

However, the Deputy Prime Minister repeatedly refused to answer, eventually declaring: "Get a grip, man!"

Mr Lammy also told his Tory opponent: "I spent 14 years in opposition and I did a hell of a lot better than he has just done."

However, soon after the questioning was over, it emerged that a manhunt was under way for an Algerian convicted sex offender who was wrongly released from prison last week.

Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth in south-west London for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously also been convicted for indecent exposure, sources said.

He was freed from the jail, which was put into special measures last year, on October 29, but the mistake was only reported to the Metropolitan Police on Tuesday, the force said.

A spokesperson for the Met said: "Shortly after 1pm on Tuesday, November 4, the Met was informed by the Prison Service that a prisoner had been released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday, October 29.

"The prisoner is a 24-year-old Algerian man.

"Officers are carrying out urgent inquiries in an effort to locate him and return him to custody."

It is understood Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker.

Mr Lammy has now issued a statement saying he was "absolutely outraged" and that his officials have been "working through the night to take him back to prison".

He said in a statement: "Victims deserve better and the public deserve answers.

"That is why I have already brought in the strongest checks ever to clamp down on such failures and ordered an independent investigation, led by Dame Lynne Owens, to uncover what went wrong and address the rise in accidental releases which has persisted for too long."

According to government figures published in July, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year to March 2025 - a 128% increase on 115 in the previous 12 months.

Reacting to the latest incident, national chairman of the Prison Officers' Association Mark Fairhurst told the PA news agency he wants to get reassurances from leaders of the Prison Service that there are robust procedures in place to prevent this happening.

"This should not happen, end of," he said.

"This is on the leaders of the service, not the staff on the front line, they just follow processes."

Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp also described the mistaken release as "shocking" and said it "makes a mockery" of Mr Lammy's claim at PMQs to have introduced the "strongest ever checks" on releases.

In the fallout from Kebatu's accidental release, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said mistakes are happening "all the time" and are symptomatic of the chaos within the system.